4 ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ Stars Who Sadly Passed Away

It’s been 35 years since Pee-wee’s Playhouse aired its final episode on CBS, and the iconic comedy show’s impact is still felt today in the many children’s shows that have followed in its footsteps.

Created by Pee-wee Herman himself, actor and comedian Paul Reubens, Pee-wee’s Playhouse ran for five seasons as a more child-centric take on the popular stage show and the HBO TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show.

The series went on to earn critical acclaim, and in 2007, was named on Time’s list of the 100 Best TV Shows.

Unfortunately, many of the people who made Pee-wee’s Playhouse what it was have since passed away. Take a walk down memory lane as PopCulture.com looks back on four of the Pee-wee’s Playhouse have died in the years since its end.

1. Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens, who created the iconic Pee-wee Herman character, died in July 2023 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 70.

“Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit,” the late actor’s rep said in a statement at the time. “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.”

2. Lynne Marie Stewart

Lynne Marie Stewart, who played Miss Yvonne, The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland, on Pee-wee’s Playhouse from 1986 to 1990, died in February 2025 at the age of 78.

The actress, who also appeared in several other Pee-wee titles, including Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988), died months after doctors found a tumor between her liver and gallbladder.

3. John Paragon

John Paragon, best known for his role as the disembodied genie head in a box, Jambi, died in April 2021 at the age of 66.

Paragon, who introduced fans to the incantation “mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho,” as Jambi, also voiced Pterri the pterodactyl for the majority of Pee-wee’s Playhouse while serving as a writer behind the scenes.

Paragon died on April 3, 2021, at his residence in Palm Springs, Calif., due to heart disease and chronic alcohol abuse, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

4. Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman, who co-wrote the film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure with Reubens, also made regular appearances on Pee-wee’s Playhouse as the raspy-voiced Captain Carl prior to his death in 1998 at 49 years old.

Hartman was killed in a shocking murder-suicide on May 28, 1998, after an alleged argument with his wife of 10 years, Brynn Hartman. The Saturday Night Live star was believed to be sleeping when Brynn shot him to death before turning the gun on herself.

“The thing that freaks everyone out is that this was not them,” friend of the Hartman family Rita Wilson told Entertainment Weekly after the murder-suicide. “He was a great dad, she was a really good mom. This is so uncharacteristic of how they were together.”