Paul Reubens, better known by his Pee-wee Herman character popularized in the 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and the children’s program Pee-wee’s Playhouse, has died at the age of 70.
Variety reported that the character actor had been suffering from cancer — and it was a diagnosis that he’d kept secret from his followers until after his passing.
AD LOADING...
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Monday (July 31). “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,” read the Instagram post caption. “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.”
True Hip-Hop Stories: Joe Ski Love from D-Nice on Vimeo.
Rapper Joeski Love, however, has a different type of a tie to Paul Reubens, who was the inspiration for his “Pee Wee Dance” song and video.
As Love told D-Nice back in 2009, the character actor was the inspiration for his 1986 hit track.
“My nieces and nephews are doing this dance based on a movie,” he said to the DJ. “It’s called Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Write a song about that and call me back.”
He continued: “So I had never seen the movie, so I couldn’t really write it from that concept. […] The movie was based on some guy that stole his bicycle. It took five minutes to write the lyrics.”
AD LOADING...
Reubens, himself, posted a link to the video on his Instagram page back in December 2022, pointing out that Ice-T and Darlene Ortiz were also featured in the video. The track was originally released on Elektra Records.
As for Joeski Love, he was originally signed to Vince Davis’s Vintertainment Label — but he was part of a group. When the group disbanded, he stayed on with Davis as a solo artist, which is how the “Pee Wee Dance” song came to be.
HipHopDX sends its condolences to the friends and family of Paul Reubens.
