Actor and comedian Paul Reubens, who became a beloved children's star in the 1980s as Pee-wee Herman, has died at the age of 70.
"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," according to a statement posted Monday on his official Facebook page. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."
The accompanying post came with a posthumous message from Reubens.
"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," the message said. "I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."
Reubens starred as the iconic character that made him famous, first on television in the 1981 HBO special "The Pee-wee Herman Show" and CBS weekend morning show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," and in two theatrical movies, 1985's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and 1988's "Big Top Pee-wee."
The success of "The Pee-wee Herman Show" prompted Warner Bros. to hire Reubens to write a screenplay for a full-length Pee-wee movie. Directed by Tim Burton, the movie was a box-office hit, launching the career of Burton (who went on to direct "Beetlejuice" and "Batman") and allowing Reubens to create "Pee-wee's Playhouse" for CBS.
"Pee-wee's Big Adventure" tells the story of Pee-wee's search for his stolen bicycle and his comedic cross-country misadventures from the Alamo and an encounter with an apparition of a truck driver named "Large Marge" to Warner Bros. Studios, where he disrupts a Twisted Sister music video and several other productions.
The movie has since become a cult classic and spawned the ill-fated 1988 sequel "Big Top Pee-wee," which flopped upon its release.
In 1986, Reubens was the voice of an alien spaceship in the South Florida-set Disney movie "Flight of the Navigator." He used the pseudonym of Paul Mall.
"Pee-wee's Playhouse" aired on Saturday mornings from 1986 to 1990, introducing a cast of characters portrayed by then-unknown actors like Laurence Fishburne (as Cowboy Curtis) and future "Saturday Night Live" star Phil Hartman (as Captain Carl).
In the show, Pee-wee's home was filled with toys, gadgets, puppet characters (such as Conky the Robot and Pterri the baby Pteranodon), and talking furniture and appliances (like Magic Screen and Chairry). There was even a disembodied genie's head (named Jambi, played by John Paragon) who lives in a jeweled box.
Reubens' persona was tarnished in 1991 when he was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Florida. Toys "R" Us removed Pee-wee merchandise from its stores after his arrest.
Then in 2002, Reubens surrendered to police in Los Angeles, where he was charged with misdemeanor possession of obscene material improperly depicting a child under the age of 18 in sexual conduct. Reubens disputed the claims of child pornography as inaccurate, later stating that he was a collector of erotica, and the charges were dropped in 2004 after he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity charge.
Reubens revived the Pee-wee character on Broadway in 2010.
His final film role was in "Pee-wee's Big Holiday," which was released by Netflix in 2016.
Reubens also appeared in 1981's "Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams," 1992's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and 2001's "Blow." He also reunited with Burton for a cameo as the Penguin's father in 1992's "Batman Returns."