Paul Reubens, Actor Best Known for Pee-wee Herman, Dies of Cancer

Paul Reubens attends the AOL Build Speaker Series to discuss 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday' at AOL Studios in New York on March 25, 2016. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Paul Reubens, who rose to fame in the 1980s for his portrayal of the children’s TV star Pee-wee Herman, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 70.

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” wrote Mr. Reubens in a statement posted to his Instagram after his death. “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.”

“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,” wrote Reubens’ estate in the caption of Herman’s post.

“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.”

Pee-wee Herman 

Mr. Reubens rose to fame after he launched “The Pee-wee Herman Show” in 1980. Based on a fictional character he had developed, the stage production ran for five sold-out months before he landed a special on HBO. When taking part in interviews and making public appearances, he also remained in character as Pee-wee Herman.

While he began his career in the 1970s as an improvisational comedian and stage actor at the legendary Los Angeles live comedy troupe the Groundlings in the 1970s, he would go on to make films and a weekend morning show based on the Pee-wee character.

It was in 1985 that he teamed up with director Tim Burton on his first critical and commercial success, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” He followed that up three years later with “Big Top Pee-wee,” directed by Randal Kleiser, and then transitioned to TV from 1986 to 1990 with CBS’ weekend morning show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” The show won several Emmys and featured colorful postmodernist set designs and music from New Wave icons like Cyndi Lauper, the Residents, and Mark Mothersbaugh. Guest stars, including Laurence Fishburne, Natasha Lyonne, and Jimmy Smits, also appeared.

Arrested for Indecent Exposure

Then in 1991, Mr. Reuben’s successful showbiz path came to a halt after he pleaded no contest to indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Florida.

In the shadow of a now tarnished image, the actor then distanced himself from his Pee-wee character and started making press appearances as himself.

In 2002, after turning himself in to the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department, Mr. Reubens was charged with misdemeanor possession of obscene material improperly depicting a child under the age of 18 in sexual conduct. A self-proclaimed collector of erotica, Mr. Reubens disputed the city’s classification of pornography.

Then in 2004, the child pornography charges were dropped when Mr. Reubens was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge involving photographs of minors engaged in sexual conduct that were seized from him.

In a 2005 interview with NBC News’ Stone Phillips, Mr. Reubens said: “One thing I want to make very, very clear, I don’t want anyone for one second to think that I am titillated by images of children.

“It’s not me. You can say lots of things about me. And you might. The public may think I’m weird. They may think I’m crazy or anything that anyone wants to think about me. That’s all fine. As long as one of the things you’re not thinking about me is that I’m a pedophile. Because that’s not true.”

Pee-wee Revived and Other Projects

It wasn’t until 2010 that he revived “The Pee-wee Herman Show” on Broadway and made several other appearances on “WWE Raw” and in a couple of digital sketches for Funny or Die.

In 2016, Mr. Reubens co-wrote and starred in Netflix’s “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” a sequel to 1988’s “Big Top,” which would serve as Mr. Reubens’ final film role before his death.

Still, throughout his career, Mr. Reubens starred in a variety of projects, including Kinka Usher’s superhero comedy “Mystery Men” and Ted Demme’s biographical crime drama “Blow” for which he won critical acclaim for playing a drug-dealing hairdresser alongside Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp. He also appeared in “Batman Returns,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “Matilda.”

His television credits include “30 Rock,” “The Blacklist,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Hercules,” “Rugrats,” “Reno 911!,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” and “Gotham.”

“Paul Reubens was like no one else - a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time,” late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel said on Twitter. “He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met. My family and I will miss him.”

Prior to his death, Mr. Reubens was developing two Pee-wee Herman projects—a dark comedy titled “The Pee-wee Herman Story” and a family adventure film called “Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Movie.”