Actor and comedian Paul Reubens – known most for his character Pee-wee Herman – passed away in late July after a long battle with cancer.
While Reubens loved playing Pee-wee, there’s more to him than just the bow-tie. His former manager, Wayne Sharpe, joined Scoot to remember the longtime actor.
“Paul was a really shy, private guy,” said Sharpe. “Very funny, very kind. Every birthday I looked forward to getting a bunch of funny videos and texts from him, and a lot of his friends say the same thing.”
That’s true – after Reubens death was announced on his official Instagram page, many dedications poured in. Many commented on his birthday messages, including former Cal Arts classmate and actor David Hasselhoff, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, and comedian Conan O’Brien.
“No tweet can capture the magic, generosity, artistry, and devout silliness of Paul Reubens,” said O’Brien in an X post. “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.”
While Reubens had a larger-than-life personality in his Pee-wee persona, he was very reserved in his private life.
“He was a homebody, so he liked nothing better than to be at home,” said Sharpe. He recalled trying to get Reubens to come to an Endymion Mardi Gras event.
“And I just couldn’t get him to get out of his house,” Sharpe told Scoot. “And he had been in New Orleans before – we did that show with him in 1984 on the riverboat, I’m sure you remember that – and he loved New Orleans.”
Still, the crowds kept him away. He preferred staying home, writing and hanging out with his cats. In fact, his death came as a surprise to many, even Sharpe.
“We’re going to miss him,” he said. Listen to his full conversation with Scoot here.
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