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Paul Reubens, the actor known for creating and portraying the character of Pee-wee Herman, has died. Reubens was 70. His death was confirmed in a tribute posted to his Facebook page July 31.

“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,” the tribute read.

It continued, “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.”

A posthumous statement from Reubens was posted to his Instagram after his passing Sunday night (July 30), revealing he had been battling cancer for six years. His statement read, “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years. 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.”

Reubens’ rep Don Birge confirmed his passing to Decider, saying in a statement, “Paul was beloved and he will be terribly missed.”

Reubens began his career as Pee-wee in the ’80s after joining the Groundlings in the years prior. He debuted The Pee-wee Herman Show in 1980 and subsequently earned his own HBO special. In 1985, he partnered with Tim Burton on Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

His additional Pee-wee projects included the series Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which ran from 1986 to 1990; plus the films Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1988) and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (2016).

Aside from his work as Pee-wee, Reubens also appeared in dozens of hit shows throughout his career, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ally McBeal, Reno 911!, 30 Rock and Pushing Daises. His most recent credit is listed on IMDb as 2021’s The Crown with a Shadow, in which he voiced Oliver.

While Reubens was known for his comedy chops and extensive acting credits, he also experienced some legal woes during his time in the spotlight. The actor was arrested for indecent exposure in 1991 when he exposed himself in a Florida adult theater. In 2002, he ran into trouble with the law again after turning himself in to police on a child pornography possession charge.

The charges were dropped in 2004 after Reubens agreed to plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of possessing obscene images of minors.

Reubens later said in a 2004 NBC interview, “I don’t want anyone for one second to think that I am titillated by images of children. It’s not me.” He continued, “You can say lots of things about me. And you might. The public may think I’m weird. They may think I’m crazy or anything that anyone wants to think about me. That’s all fine. As long as one of the things you’re not thinking about me is that I’m a pedophile. Because that’s not true.”

According to Variety, Reubens was planning two projects prior to his death: the black comedy The Pee-wee Herman Story and the film Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Movie.