Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies of cancer aged 70

Actor Paul Reubens’s character Pee-wee Herman became a global phenomenon (AP)

Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon, has died aged 70.

Reubens died on Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement.