Paul Reubens Remembered: Natasha Lyonne, Jimmy Kimmel Honor ‘True Original’ Behind Pee-wee Herman
Paul Reubens, the actor who created and portrayed Pee-wee Herman and delighted generations of kids and adults with his singular zaniness, died Sunday night, at the age of 70, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Though Pee-wee was largely ostensibly as children’s entertainment, the character’s appeal was vast, and Reuben’s work was deeply influential to a generation of comedians and performers.
One such disciple, Natasha Lyonne, who made her made her TV acting debut on Pee-wee’s Playhouse when she was 6 years old, honored Reubens on Twitter, writing, “Love you so much, Paul. One in all time. Thank you for my career & your forever friendship all these years & for teaching us what a true original is.”
David Hasselhoff remembered their time together at the California Institute of the Arts, writing, “Paul Reubens was a great, great friend. He gave me the muppets for my birthday and never forgot anyone’s birthday from our class. He was in my class at CalArts and room mates! He was always kind to me and to everyone.”
Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, said Reubens was “like no one else,” describing him as “a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time. He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met. My family and I will miss him.”
Conan O’Brien also wrote that there is “no tweet can capture the magic, generosity, artistry, and devout silliness of Paul Reubens. Everyone I know received countless nonsensical memes from Paul on their birthday, and I mean EVERYONE. His surreal comedy and unrelenting kindness were a gift to us all. Damn, this hurts.”
Sarah Sherman (a.k.a. Sarah Squirm), one of Saturday Night Live’s recent breakout performers whose penchant for the outlandish and bizarre is directly in the Pee-wee lineage, called Reubens her “patron saint.” She continued, “You invented everything. You created a world we all wish we could live in. PEE WEE FOR FUCKING EVER!!!!”
Cheech Marin remembered Reubens as “one of the funniest actors I knew, and a great friend.” Marin and his partner Tommy Chong gave Reubens/Pee-wee an early platform in the Eighties, enlisting him for parts in two of their movies. “He was an indelible character in our movies, and will be so missed,” Marin said.
In an interview with Yahoo News, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh credited Reubens totally “changing the trajectory” of his career when Reubens asked him to write the music for Pee-wee’s Playhouse. “I’d never done a TV show before,” said Mothersbaugh, who would go onto become an extremely in-demand and influential film and TV composer (on top of his extremely influential work in Devo).
“He always had a good personality and a good heart,” Mothersbaugh said. He later remarked on how revolutionary and singular Pee-wee’s Playhouse was at the time: “It was one of those shows that I don’t know if it could ever happen again. They gave him so much artistic leeway. They don’t do that anymore, and they haven’t done it since. It was kind of funny, because people would hire me for shows after that and they’d go, ‘This is the new Pee-wee’s Playhouse!’ That’s how they’d pitch their shows. And then you’d see it and go, ‘That’s not anywhere near as good as Pee-wee’s Playhouse!’ Maybe the closest show to creating an energy and enthusiasm like that was Yo Gabba Gabba!. You don’t see that very often.”
Cyndi Lauper, who secretly recorded the vocals for Mothersbaugh’s Pee-wee’s Playhouse theme song (she was credited as “Ellen Shaw”), also shared a tribute on Instagram. “He was a nut and I just love that about him. We had the same some sort of sensibility. I know he went through some ups and downs, but he was a really good guy and I am sorry to hear of his passing and that he had gotten so sick. Hopefully he’s cracking jokes and shooting a few rounds on the big miniature golf course in the sky.”
Guillermo del Toro called Reubens the “patron saints of all misfitted, weird, maladjusted, wonderful, miraculous oddities.
In a statement, the famed improv group the Groundlings, where Reubens first premiered Pee-wee Herman in 1977, said, “We were deeply saddened to hear of Paul Reubens passing today. As an iconic member of The Groundlings in the 1970-80s, Paul created his infamous character of Peewee Herman here, which became a cultural phenomenon that spanned decades. Paul’s contributions to comedy and entertainment have left a lasting impact on the world, and he will be greatly missed by all in the Groundlings community. We love you, Paul.”
Reubens was, of course, plenty beloved beyond the comedy world. Jack White, who collaborated with Reubens on a few occasions, called him “an actor and comedian of incredible talent,” as well as “a good friend to me and reached out any time he felt I was in need. A generous soul who never forgot a birthday or christmas card for those he loved. He had incredible taste in music and was very funny in everyday life.”
White also recalled working with Reubens on the Raconteurs’ “Steady As She Goes” video, saying, “I first got to witness his gift while filming a video for the Raconteurs together, and we became friends instantly. I was just thinking about you last night Paul, peace be with you.”
k.d. lang, who appeared in Reubens’ Christmas special, shared, “He was a genius. Gifted with curating humor with a good dose of social commentary,” she wrote, continuing, “I hope he is celebrated for that. Unfettered. As so he should. Swift rebirth you gorgeous light.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Elizabeth Dailey, who played Dottie in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, wrote, “From the moment I met you and got to work on your brilliant movie, ‘Pee Wee’s Big Adventure’ I thought, what a beautiful gentle soul you are. Kind, thoughtful, brilliant and sweet. Your work will be celebrated forever.” She added, “I will forever be the Dottie to your Pee Wee.”
S. Epatha Merkerson, who made her television debut as Reba the Mail Lady on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, fondly recalled her early friendship with Reubens. “I always called him Pablo,” she wrote in a statement, and admitted she did not know about his character when they first met at an audition. “However, when I walked into the audition I was introduced to a man named Paul Reubens in cut off jeans, with long hair and a goatee. He looked like a 60’s reject!” she wrote. “Well, fast forward to the first day of shooting he came over to me in costume and I realized then that he knew all along that I had NO idea who Peewee Herman was. We became fast friends.”
The actress Daryl Hannah shared a throwback photo with Reubens, writing: LOVE u forever P.W.
Paul creative genius & friend who never, in over 40 years, failed to send a hilarious message on a birthday, holiday or special event. What a wonderful human & incredible talent. ‘A loner … A rebel.’ One of a kind. Today’s word is — heartbroken.”
And Cher, who guested on a Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas special, honored Reubens with a bit of Shakespeare. “Goodbye Paul. Goodnight sweet prince. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Hamlet. William Shakespeare.”
This story is developing…