Early this week the tragic news came that Paul Reubens passed away from cancer after a private battle. I hated that news because Pee-Wee played such a big part of my childhood. Well, for those of you wondering how Reubens created his Pee-Wee character, he explained it in a 1981 interview on CNN with Lee Leonard. This was actually the very first time that Reubens gave an interview as himself. Reubens explained how Pee-Wee is a combination of him and a couple of other kids he knew when growing up. He also discussed his early theater work in Florida and his time with The Groundlings in Los Angeles. This is a great must-watch interview if you’re a fan of Reubens and Pee-Wee Herman! Check it out!