What Happened to Paul Reubens?
The news of Paul Reubens' death shocked the world when it was announced Monday.
The comedic actor, best known for playing the iconic character of Pee-wee Herman, deliberately kept his beloved fans in the dark about his private health battle for several years. Find out Paul Reubens' cause of death and why the Pee-wee Herman show got canceled.
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What was Paul Reubens' cause of death?
Paul Reubens died on July 30, 2023, following a private battle with cancer that he'd been fighting for six years. He was 70 years old.
"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," a statement on his official Instagram read. "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."
According to TMZ, Reubens was first diagnosed with a brain tumor six years ago. The tumor was removed surgically at the time; the specific type of cancer that ultimately took Reubens' life has not been made public.
Even those close to him, including actress E.G. Daily, didn't know Reubens had cancer until after he died.
"I had no idea that he was battling cancer. I knew something was going on," Daily told TMZ. "I could tell that he was not wanting to be out or be seen." She added that Reubens "felt fragile" to her and declined invitations that he normally would otherwise have accepted.
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Did Paul Reubens die?
Paul Reubens died on July 30, 2023, following a six-year cancer battle.
"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," a rep for Reubens wrote in a statement. "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."
Reubens' rep also noted that the actor finished a rough draft of a memoir before his passing.
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Why did the Pee-wee Herman show get canceled?
Pee-wee's Playhouse actually ended in 1990, but re-runs of the beloved kids' show stopped airing in 1991 after Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult movie theater.
He previously told NBC News (via The Associated Press), "The moment that I realized my name was going to be said in the same sentence as children and sex, that’s really intense. That's something I knew from that very moment, whatever happens past that point, something's out there in the air that is really bad."
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How old was Pee-wee Herman when he died?
Reubens was 70 years old when he died. The character and legacy he left behind of Pee-wee Herman, however, will likely live on forever.
In 2016, Reubens told PEOPLE that for a long time, he worked hard to not separate himself from his Pee-wee persona.
"I went out of my way for quite some time to try and make people think that he was a real person and there wasn’t an actor behind it all," he said of the character, who he first developed in the iconic Groundlings improv troupe. After years of exhausting work as the character, however—including two feature films made while simultaneously filming Pee-wee's Playhouse, he simply got tired.
"I never said, ‘I don’t want to be Pee-wee anymore,’ " Reubens explained. "I loved what I was doing, but I needed a break."
He previously resurrected the Pee-wee persona for Pee-wee's Big Holiday on Netflix in 2016, and Reubens' rep confirmed to PEOPLE that Reubens had completed two Pee-wee Herman film scripts before his death. Though it's unlikely anyone could fill his shoes, it's still possible that we'll see the character again.
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