Filmmaker Tim Burton is remembering his friend and collaborator Paul Reubens, who died at age 70 Sunday after a private bout with cancer. Reubens starred as the zany Pee-wee Herman in the Pee-wee’s Playhouse TV series and 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Burton’s feature film directorial debut. (According to the book Burton on Burton, Reubens and the film’s producers picked Burton to direct the feature based on the then-Disney animator’s stop-motion animated short Vincent and his 1984 short film Frankenweenie.) After Pee-wee’s Big Adventure grossed $41 million off a $7 million budget, Burton went on to direct two more hit films for Warner Bros.: 1988’s Beetlejuice and 1989’s Batman.
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“Shocked and saddened.I’ll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career. It would not have happened without his support,” Burton wrote on Instagram alongside an image from the making of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. “He was a great artist. I’ll miss him.”
Burton and Reubens would reunite on 1992’s Batman Returns, with the Pee-wee Herman actor making a cameo as the father of Danny DeVito’s Penguin. Reubens also voiced Lock — the devilish leader of Oogie’s Boys — in 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, director Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated adaptation of Burton’s original poem.
“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,” reads a statement from the actor’s Facebook page published on Monday. “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.”
Accompanying the announcement was a statement from Reubens, reading: “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve beenfacing the last six years. I have always felt a hugeamount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I haveloved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Reubens’ Facebook page asked “that any expressions of sympathy be made in honor of his lateparents, Judy and Milton Reubenfeld, to Stand Up to Cancer ororganizations involved in Dementia and Alzheimer’s care, support andresearch.”
