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Paul Reubens, the actor who created and portrayed Pee-wee Herman, was battling two types of cancer at the time of his death.
The primary type listed as the sequential underlying cause was acute myeloid leukemia, and the actor was also diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, according to his death certificate obtained by People.
The immediate cause of death for Reubens was given as acute hypoxic respiratory failure.
The Blast first reported the news.
The comedian had battled cancer privately for six years and died on July 30 at the age of 70.
“Please accept my apologies for not publicly describing what I have experienced over the past six years,” the comedian wrote in a statement posted to social media after his death. He continued: “I have always felt great love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Although “Pee-wee” was largely intended as children’s entertainment, the character’s appeal was enormous and Ruben’s work had a major impact on a generation of comedians and performers. His death led to a spate of tributes from Hollywood, from David Hasselhoff to Cher.
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Natasha Lyonne, who made her television acting debut in Pee-wee’s Playhouse at the age of six, honored Reubens on X (formerly known as Twitter) writes: “I love you so much, Paul. One in all times. Thank you for my career and your eternal friendship over the years and for teaching us what a true original is.”
Cyndi Lauper, who recorded the vocals for Mark Mothersbaugh Pee-wee’s Devo Playhouse theme song (she was credited as “Ellen Shaw”), also shared a touching tribute on Instagram. “He was a weirdo and I just love that about him. We had the same sensitivity. I know he went through some ups and downs but he was a really good guy and I’m sorry to hear about his passing and that he got so ill. Hopefully he’ll joke around and get a few rounds on the big mini-golf course in the sky.”