How did Pee-Wee Herman actor Paul Reubens die? Visit his sudden death again

Paul Reubens' legacy lived on July 30, 2023 two years after his sudden death.

He created the legendary figure Pee-Wee Herman, who made his debut in an HBO special from 1981 and later appeared in the film directed by Tim Burton Pee-Wees great adventure (1985), The TV series Pee-Wees Playhouse (1986-1990) and The Netflix Original Movie Pee-Wees big holiday (2016).

The character became so iconic that in an interview with the time of 2001, SpongeBob SquarePants The creator Stephen Hillenburg even said that Pee-Wee inspired his beloved character. Reubens was more than just PEE web in films like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Mystery men (1999) and was a prominent language actor.

Before his death of 2023, Reubens also faced some legal challenges that were examined in May 2025 Pee-Webe as himself. In 1991 he was arrested After an investigation, the indictment against Reubens was reduced in an exchange for a guilty request against obscene, “by NBC.

Years later, Reubens died after a time of the disease that he had kept secret. The actor's death notice even included an apology from Reubens to keep his diagnosis of fans.

Here is everything to know how Paul Reubens died and what last words he shared with his fans.

How did Paul Reubens die?

Reubens died at the age of 70. His official cause of death was an acute hypoxic breathing failure, which is an illness in which the lungs cannot release enough oxygen into the bloodstream.

Reubens also had to struggle with two cancer diagnoses that he had kept secret in front of his fans and the press. The actor had acute myelogenic leukemia and metastatic lung cancer, both of which contributed to his fatal illness.

Accordingly The New York TimesReubens died in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near Beverly Hills, California.

When did Paul Reubens die?

Reubens died on July 30, 2023. The news was unveiled by his estate on his Facebook and Instagram pages, in which a message was published: “Last night we said of Paul Reubens, a legendary American actor, comedian, writer and producer, whose loved one Pee-WEE Herman generations of children and adults with his positivity, with his position, with his position and belief in Fuh from the fowels of the way, with its position, with his position and belief in the fuels of the fulpts of the kind of childhood.

The contribution was also the first to break the news about the cancer diagnosis of Reubens. It continued: “Paul fought courageously and privately against cancer with his trademark and his joke for years.

How old was Paul Reubens when he died?

The actor was 70 when he died in 2023. He died less than a month before his 71st birthday on August 27th.

How did the public reaction to Paul Reubens' death react?

Shortly after the death of Reubens, the former Costars and colleagues shared their condolences and the memories of the star. All from Jimmy Kimmel to Amy Sedaris, Garret Hedlund, Kathy Griffin, Judd Apatow and Cher offered tribute.

Burton, who headed Pee-Wees great adventurePublished a photo of the two on Instagram. “Shocked and sad,” he wrote in the caption. “I will 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 will miss him.”

Joe Manganiello, who played the leading role in 2016 in 2016 Pee-Wees big holidayA touching news also shared on Instagram. “Man … that's hard”, the Magic Mike Actor wrote. “It is so difficult to say goodbye if you know that you will never see someone who means so much. Someone who believed in them fought for them and saw things in them who have not.”

A few weeks after his death on August 27, 2023, Friends, family and celebrity colleagues from Reubens gathered for a commemoration in the Skirball Center in LA to honor the star on his 71st birthday. There were 350 participants and speakers, among others, Conan O'Brien, Maya Rudolph, David Arquette and John Waters.

What were Paul Reubens' last words?

Shortly before his death, Reubens started a last message for his documentary Pee-Webe as himselfWhere he admitted that he was still injured after being accused of obsessing child pornography.

“The reason why I wanted to create a documentary was that people see who I really am and how painful and difficult it was to describe something I was not,” he said. “The moment I heard someone called me, I will only say it, a pedophile, I knew that it would change everything to move forward and backwards.”

Reubens continued: “I wanted to talk and understand what it is like to be described as Paria, to have afraid of them or unsure about them or not trustworthy or to examine or to examine or how their intentions are not true.”

While this statement was published in May 2025 when the documentary was published, Reubens' last words actually came immediately after his death. The comedian had hidden his cancer diagnoses and instead instructed his estate to share a message on social media after his death.

“Please accept my excuse that I have not being public in the past six years with what I have seen,” he wrote. “I always felt a lot of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I loved them all so much and enjoyed doing art for them.”