The Late Paul Reubens Receives Lots of Love on What Would Have Been his Birthday
The world lost Paul Reubens, best known for playing Pee-wee Herman over the years, on July 30, 2023. Just about a month after his passing, a celebration of life was held in his honor on what would have been his 71st birthday (Aug. 27). Many of his family and friends, including some fellow celebrities, attended the special event that celebrated not only his birthday but his entire life and career.
350 people came together at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California including Conan O’Brien, Phil Rosenthal, Maya Rudolph, and many more. Several other celebs including John Waters shared their tribute through a pre-recorded video. During the event, Reubens’ Pee-wee’s Playhouse star Lynne Marie Stewart and his best friend, Cassandra Peterson (best known for being Elvira) sang “Happy Birthday” at the end of the celebration. His favorite song, “The Secret Life of Plants” by Stevie Wonder concluded the day.
Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection
There was another nod to his time as Pee-wee at the event as there was memorabilia from his career and pigs in a blanket were served. Meredith Salenger shared some photos of the celebration and wrote, “Today we celebrated the life of the beautiful and talented Paul Rubens. His memorial was overwhelming with emotion and joy and love. Listening to the touching stories about this man who so generously gave his heart to everyone he cared about from old friends to new, from skunks to coyotes to deer to nature… to all of us was beyond moving. What a beautiful soul Happy Birthday Paul and thank you for the beautiful legacy you left for all of us to cherish. 💖”
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Reubens passed away after a private battle with cancer and in his final letter to fans, he apologized for keeping it a secret. He wrote, “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.”
Remind At the time of his death, he had reportedly been working on a memoir, developing projects for television, and working on two new Pee-wee movie scripts. Hopefully, some of the projects will materialize and the world will see his work one last time.
Where Are They Now - The Seventies
June 2022
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘70s?
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