Paul Reubens, Best Known For His Character Pee-Wee Herman, Dies At 70

Actor Paul Reubens, who came to fame in the 1980s as children's TV star Pee-wee Herman, has died years after a cancer diagnosis, his team said Monday.

He was 70.

For the kids of the 80s, Pee-Wee's Playhouse was a MUST Watch on Saturday morning!

Reubens has quietly battled cancer for years…The announcement of his death included a personal statement from the actor, explaining why he had kept his medical condition under wraps.

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years," he wrote. "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 rocketed to fame for creating the sarcastic but good-natured man-child Pee-wee Herman, a character whose red bowtie and sneering catchphrases — “I know you are, but what am I?” — were ubiquitous in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Pee-wee was the star of a Los Angeles stage play produced by Reubens that gained enough of a following that HBO recorded and broadcast a performance in 1981. 

That eventually led to Reubens’ big break, the 1985 movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” helmed by first-time feature film director Tim Burton. The movie followed Pee-wee’s surreal and slapstick journey to find his missing bicycle and, while a modest box office hit, became a cult favourite.

The success of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” led to Reubens landing a Saturday morning CBS show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” The live-action show was a hit with kids and adults alike and ran from 1986 to 1991.

NOT JUST PEE-WEE

Reubens won critical acclaim in 2001 for playing a drug-dealing hairdresser in the movie "Blow," starring alongside Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp.

His TV credits included appearances on "30 Rock," "The Blacklist" and "Gotham."