Paul Reubens Cared for His Father Dying of Cancer 19 Years Before He Died of Cancer Himself

Milton Rubenfeld died at age 84 in 2004 — nearly two decades before the actor best known as Pee-wee Herman spent several years privately enduring his own cancer journey

Cancer hit close to home for Paul Reubens, who died on Sunday after a private, extended period of illness.

Nearly two decades before Reubens' own death of the disease, the comedian supported his father Milton Rubenfeld up until he succumbed to cancer on Feb. 21, 2004.

In 2007, the Today show reported after the fact that Reubens had taken a two years away from the spotlight and relocated to Florida to care of his terminally ill dad.

"My father didn't like to talk about his many accomplishments," Reubens — who was best known for playing Pee-wee Herman — told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune at the time. "In 1948, he and a small group of Americans helped establish the state of Israel and form the Israeli Air Force. Israel honored him for his heroism and leadership and his plane was preserved and displayed outside the airport in Tel Aviv with a plaque bearing his name."

Related: Celebrity Fans and Friends Remember Paul Reubens for His 'Brilliant and Original' Character Pee-wee Herman

Rubenfeld was a veteran of Britain's Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Forces, and he also helped form the Israeli Air Force. He was born in Peekskill, New York, and attended New York University and the University of New Mexico before moving to Florida in 1960, according to the newspaper.

As Reubens attended Sarasota High, his father owned a Lincoln-Mercury dealership. Additionally, he operated the Lamplighter Shop and the Statue Place in Sarasota and was a member of American Veterans of Israel.

"We lived in a house on Sarasota Bay that had been built as a test house by the Navy in the 1950s to study monostructure and durable building materials," Reubens recalled in 2004. "The house was very unconventional, in Japanese style, with a swimming pool in the center and overhead garage doors that opened to the outdoors. My dad loved to fish from our dock and wave to the tour boats." 

Related: Paul 'Pee-wee Herman' Reubens Apologized for Not Revealing His Cancer Diagnosis Prior to Death

On Monday, Reubens' rep confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor had died at age 70.

"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," read a statement. "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."

His rep posted the news on Reubens' Instagram page along with a personal statement from the star.

"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," the statement read. "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. - Paul Reubens."

Related: Paul Reubens' Life in Photos: The Intriguing Story of the Actor, Beyond Pee-wee

After graduating from Sarasota High — where he was the President of the Drama Club — Reubens enrolled in Boston University’s theatre department. After one year, he moved to Los Angeles and attended the acting program at California Institute of the Arts. He'd go on to create his iconic character Pee-wee Herman as a member of the improv group The Groundlings and premiered The Pee-wee Herman Show at The Groundlings Theatre in 1981.

Pee-wee Herman later made his big screen debut in the 1985 comedy Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which was Tim Burton's feature film directorial debut. Reubens also created Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which ran on CBS for five seasons from 1986 to 1990. The series earned him 22 Emmy Awards — including 14 personal nods — two of which he won. 

Burton, 64, shared that he was "shocked and saddened" to hear the news of his death on Monday. "I’ll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career. It would not have happened without his support. He was a great artist. I’ll miss him," he wrote via Instagram.

Related: Tim Burton on How the Late Paul Reubens 'Helped Me at the Beginning of My Career': 'I'll Never Forget'

According to Sarasota Magazine, Reubens always had a love for theatre, auditioning for "A Thousand Clowns" at The Players when he was in sixth grade. According to his mother, Judy Rubenfeld, "his father didn't want him to try out."

"He said, ‘If he gets the part, he’s really going to have the bug,’ ’cause that was a big part for a kid,'" she recalled to the magazine in March 2016. "I said, ‘I think we should let him try out ‘cause he won’t get the part. There are far better kids, and it will nip it in the bud.’ Of course, he got the part.”

Reubens would go on to become a household name, also starring in 1988’s Big Top Pee-wee. Some of his other credits included Batman Returns, Buffy the Vampire Slayer with friend David Arquette, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Matilda, and TV appearances in 30 Rock, Hercules, Rugrats, Reno 911!, Pushing Daisies, The Blacklist, Gotham and more recently an episode of The Conners in 2019. The comedian also received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 1988.

Related: 'Uncut Gems' Directors Are 'Considering' Making a Dark Pee-Wee Herman Movie: Report

After a multi-year step back from acting for various reasons (including family matters and a pair of arrests, years apart, for indecent exposure- and pornography-related charges), Reubens returned in 2015’s Judd Apatow-produced Netflix film Pee-wee's Big Holiday opposite Joe Manganiello and continued to work until 2021.

Apatow reacted to Reubens' death via Instagram on Monday. "This is devastating news," the director, 55, wrote. "We got to spend many years working with Paul on Pee Wee’s Big Holiday and got to see his genius and kindness up close. He made the world so happy! Some of the biggest laughs I have every experienced was watching him perform live. He is irreplaceable. ❤️"

Reubens' last public appearances were on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2020 and when he was a contestant on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in 2021. Although he failed to solve the bonus puzzle, Reubens won $52,000 for Feeding America.

"Paul Reubens was like no one else - a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time," Kimmel, 55, wrote on X Monday. "He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met. My family and I will miss him."

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Reubens' rep confirmed on Monday that the late star wrote the first draft of his memoir, the finishing touches on two more Pee-wee movie scripts and was developing projects for television, including a variety show and a western called Fancypants, before his death.

“If anyone would have told me I’d be doing this 30 years later, I would have laughed,” Reubens told Collider of his career in 2015. “But now, I plan on doing it 30 years from now, when I’m 140.” 

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