[1/6] Actor Paul Reubens accepts an award as his character Pee-wee Herman during the 10th Anniversary TV Land Awards in New York April 14, 2012. REUTERS/Eric ThayerJuly 31 (Reuters) - Paul Reubens, the actor who played Pee-wee Herman, a nerdy character who wore a gray suit and red bowtie while delighting children and adults alike with his distinctive "heh heh heh" laugh, has died, a post on his Instagram account said on Monday. Reubens, 70, died overnight after a years-long battle with cancer, the post said. In 1982, Ruebens appeared in a popular stage show in Los Angeles known as "The Pee-wee Herman Show" as the lead character, which he developed. In 1986, the Saturday morning television show "Pee-wee’s Playhouse" debuted, launching Rueben's career that also included two feature films as Pee-wee Herman.

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Persons: Paul Reubens, Herman, Eric Thayer, Reubens, Ruebens, Paul Rubensfeld, Brendan O'Brien, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Los, Saturday, Thomson Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Peekskill , New York, Chicago