Actor Paul Reubens Dies

Paul Reubens, the actor behind the Daytime Emmy-winning 1980s children's show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," died Sunday in Los Angeles at age 70. A posthumous statement yesterday from the actor revealed a six-year struggle with cancer for the first time.

Born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, New York, Reubens rose to fame via the whimsical, bowtie-clad Pee-wee Herman role he developed as a member of an improv group (see bio). Following the success of 1985's Tim Burton-directed film, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," Reubens became a mainstay in children's TV for half a decade via CBS' Saturday morning "Pee-wee’s Playhouse." The actor's reputation was tainted after pleading no contest to an indecent exposure charge at an adult movie theater in Florida in 1991, followed by a guilty plea to an obscenity charge in 2002.

Over an acting career spanning five decades, Reubens had supporting roles in major TV shows like "Blacklist" as well as feature films including "Batman Returns" and "Blow" alongside Johnny Depp. See his life in photos here.