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Paul Reubens was able to complete a draft of his memoir before his death, his publicist confirmed to CBS 42, an affiliate based out of Birmingham, Alabama.
Reubens’ publicist, Kelly Bush Novak, issued a statement to the station yesterday, following news of the actor’s death. ”He finished a first draft,” she said. “We are hoping it will be published posthumously.” No other details were given.
Novak’s confirmation that Reubens had finished a draft of the book comes several years after the Pee-wee Herman creator first started chatting about the memoir. In a February 2020 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he was asked if the book would be about Paul or Pee-wee, to which Reubens replied: “Well, it’s about both of us, but I have to say, when I’m writing it, I get all confused with which story and who I am in each story… I love this story.”
About a month later, Reubens shared a few more details with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ve been making notes and writing down ideas for a few years already,” he said. “I wrote all my funniest stories first and then moved on to more serious stuff. I’ve certainly lived an interesting life, met lots of amazing people and had all kinds of incredible experiences and opportunities.”
He added: “I’ve been smart and intuitive. Happy, sad, low, and elated. I’ve learned many things and feel like I’ve become wise. I have very few regrets. And above all, I’ve been wonderfully blessed and lucky. I have a fantastic book in me and I’m excited to finish it and then play myself in the movie version!”
Reubens died Sunday night, July 30, at the age of 70. The cause of death was an unspecified cancer, which the actor had reportedly been fighting for years. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit,” the statement on his social media accounts read. “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.”
