Paul Reubens, the creator of Pee-wee Herman, died at the age of 70.

Paul Reubens' persona of Pee-wee Herman was a petulant man-child, yes — but he was also a trickster spirit, a burst of joyous id that snuck his brand of anarchy into the mainstream. He's pictured above in Los Angeles in 2009.

Pee-wee Herman, the hilarious invention of actor/writer Paul Reubens, would frequently incorporate schoolyard taunts into his everyday discourse. It was one of the character's signature lines.

"Why don't you take a photograph?" It'll last a lot longer!"

"My name is that!" "Don't overdo it!"

And, maybe most notably,

"I know you are, but what exactly am I?"

Of all, when it came to Pee-wee, with his tight grey suit, red bow tie, crew cut, rouged cheekbones, and ruby-red lips, the actual question was "What am I?" - the one he posed just by existing.

Reubens, 70, died of cancer on Sunday. He was an actor, but he spent a long time convincing the public that Pee-wee was a real person, not a fiction.

At first, no one knew what to make of Reubens' irritable man-child. Pee-wee was created in 1977 by Reubens while he was a member of the Los Angeles comedy team The Groundlings. He was half prop comic, part brat, and part trickster spirit. Pee-wee had a fearless quality about him, something unrepentant and boisterous that took a second to register. The role was clearly and purposefully what people used to call a sissy - but how could a sissy own the stage like he did? Do you want to bask in the spotlight as he did? How could a sissy so comfortably and plainly tell his audience how to enjoy him?