Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Paul Reubens' legacy continues to live on, two years after his sudden death on July 30, 2023. He created the iconic character Pee-wee Herman, who made his debut in a 1981 HBO special, and later appeared in theTim Burton-directed filmPee-wee's Big Adventure(1985), the TV seriesPee-wee's Playhouse(1986-1990) and the Netflix original moviePee-wee's Big Holiday(2016). The character became so iconic that in a 2001interview with TIME,SpongeBob SquarePantscreator Stephen Hillenburg even said that Pee-wee inspired his beloved character. Reubens was also more than just Pee-wee — he starred in movies likeBuffy the Vampire Slayer(1992) andMystery Men(1999), and was a prominent voice actor. Before his 2023 death, Reubens also faced a few legal challenges, which are explored in the May 2025documentaryPee-wee as Himself. In 1991, he was arrested for exposing himself in an adult movie theater, and in 2002, he was linked to the child pornography charges against actorJeffrey Jones. After an investigation, the charges against Reubens were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to obscenity," perNBC. Years later, Reubens died after a period of sickness he had kept secret. The actor's death announcement even included an apology from Reubens for keeping his diagnosis from fans. Here's everything to know about how Paul Reubens died and the final words he shared with his fans. Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Reubensdied at the age of 70. His official cause of death was acute hypoxic respiratory failure, which is a condition where the lungs aren't able to release enough oxygen into the bloodstream. But Reubens was also struggling with two cancer diagnoses that he had been keeping secret from his fans and the press. The actor had acute myelogenous leukemia and metastatic lung cancer, both of which contributed to his fatal illness. According toThe New York Times, Reubens died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near Beverly Hills, Calif. Warner Brothers/Getty Reubens died on July 30, 2023. The news was revealed by his estate on his Facebook andInstagrampages, where a message was posted reading, "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." The post was also the first to break the news of Reubens' cancer diagnosis. It 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." Cindy Ord/Getty The actor was 70 years old when he died in 2023. He passed away less than a month before what would have been his 71st birthday on Aug. 27. Mike Pont/WireImage Shortly after Reubens' death, former costars and fellow comediansshared their condolences and memoriesof the star. Everyone fromJimmy Kimmelto Amy Sedaris, Garret Hedlund,Kathy Griffin,Judd ApatowandCheroffered tributes. Burton, who directedPee-wee's Big Adventure,posted a photoof the two on Instagram. "Shocked and saddened," he wrote in the caption. "I'll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career. It would not have happened without his support. He was a great artist. I'll miss him." Joe Manganiello, who starred alongside Reubens in 2016'sPee-wee's Big Holiday, also shared atouching message on Instagram. "Man… this is tough," theMagic Mikeactor wrote. "It's so hard to say goodbye when you know you'll never see someone again who meant so much to you. Someone who believed in you, and fought for you, and saw things in you that most people didn't." A few weeks after his death on Aug. 27, 2023, Reubens' friends, family and celebrity colleaguesgathered together for a memorial celebrationat the Skirball Center in L.A. to honor the star on what would have been his 71st birthday. There were 350 attendees, and speakers includedConan O'Brien,Maya Rudolph,David ArquetteandJohn Waters, among others. Bobby Bank/GC Images Shortly before his death, Reubens recorded one final message for his documentaryPee-wee as Himself, where he admitted he was still hurt after being accused of possessing child pornography. "More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am, and how painful and difficult it was to be labeled something that I wasn't," he said. "The moment I heard someone label me as, I'm just gonna say it, a pedophile, I knew it was gonna change everything moving forward and backwards." Reubens continued, "I wanted to talk about and have some understanding of what it's like to be labeled a pariah, to have people scared of you, or unsure of you, or untrusting, or to look at what your intentions are through some kind of filter that's not true." While this statement was publicized in May 2025, when the documentary was released, Reubens' last words actually came right after his death. The comedian had kept his cancer diagnoses hidden and, instead, instructed his estate to share amessage on social mediaafter his death. "Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing for 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." Read the original article onPeople
