Paul Reubens, Best Known As 'Pee-wee Herman', Dead At 70

PEEKSKILL, NY — Paul Reubens, the iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer known for his beloved character "Pee-wee Herman," has died after a yearslong battle with cancer, according to a statement shared on his official Facebook page Monday.

Reubens was born in Peekskill, New York, on Aug. 27, 1952.

"[Pee-wee Herman] delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness, the statement continued. "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."

In his own statement also shared in the post, Reubens wrote, "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years."

He continued: "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 asked that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his late parents, Judy and Milton Rubenfeld, to Stand Up to Cancer or organizations involved in dementia and Alzheimer's care, support, and research, according to his team's statement.

According to a biography provided by IMDb, Reubens grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents owned a lamp store. He joined the local Asolo Theater at age 11 and appeared in a variety of plays before graduating from Sarasota High School in 1970.

Reubens attended Boston University for one year before deciding to make the move to Hollywood, where he studied acting at the California Institute of the Arts while working odd jobs, the biography said.

Reubens created Pee-wee when he was part of the Los Angeles improv group The Groundlings in the late 1970s.

Reubens' beloved character Pee-wee made his debut in 1978 before eventually becoming the title character of multiple television shows, specials, and films, including "The Pee-wee Herman Show" (1981), "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986-1990) and "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985).

Both silly and subversive and championing nonconformity, the Pee-wee universe was a trippy place, populated by things like a talking armchair and a friendly pterodactyl. Pee-wee, who is fond of secret words and loves fruit salad so much he once married it, is prone to lines like, "I know you are, but what am I?" and "Why don’t you take a picture; it’ll last longer?"

Reubens’ career was derailed when he was arrested for indecent exposure in an adult movie theater in 1991 in Sarasota, Florida, where he grew up. He was handed a small fine but his reputation was heavily damaged.

In 2001, Reubens was arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of child pornography after police seized images from his computer and photography collection, but the allegation was reduced to an obscenity charge and he was given three years probation.

"The moment that I realized my name was going to be said in the same sentence as children and sex, that’s really intense," Reubens told NBC in 2004. "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."

Reubens said he got plenty of offers to work, but told The Associated Press that most of them wanted to take "advantage of the luridness of my situation" and he didn’t want to do them.

"It just changed," he said. "Everything changed."

But when news broke of his death Monday, tributes poured in from many of those who knew and loved Reubens.

"Paul Reubens was like no one else — a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time," Jimmy Kimmel posted on Instagram. "He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met."

In reference to Reubens' character's much-discussed dream, Steve Martin tweeted that "Pee Wee got his wish to fly."

"Thanks Paul Reubens for the brilliant off-the-wall comedy," Martin said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.