Lynne Marie Stewart, who starred in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” opposite Paul Reubens, died on Friday at the age of 78.
Stewart died suddenly in mid-December after a tumor was discovered near her liver and gallbladder, her representative Bette Smith told USA TODAY on Saturday. Stewart had been experiencing exhaustion prior to the diagnosis, Smith said.
“This was totally unexpected, and she passed a month or so after her diagnosis,” she said.
“Lynne was the most amazing actress. She was the kindest and (most) honorable person,” Smith added, saying the actress “loved the craft” and “did not care” about receiving “pay or press.”
From 1986 to 1990, she starred in “Pee-wee Playhouse,” opposite Reubens, as Miss Yvonne, The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland. In July 2023, Reubens died at the age of 70 following a battle with cancer.
However, she discovered her love of acting while attending Beverly Hills High School and later L.A. City College, where she majored in theater arts and met her best friend Cindy Williams of “Laverne & Shirley” fame. Later, she honed her comedy skills alongside other genre heavyweights, including Reubens, at the Los Angeles sketch comedy troupe and school The Groundlings, of which she was a proud alumna.
Stewart has played mom Bonnie Kelly on the popular FX sitcom “It is Always Sunny in Philadelphia” since 2005. She is the mother of Charlie Day’s character of the same name.
The comedic actress also appeared in several “Pee-wee” franchise films, including 1973’s “American Graffiti,” 2003’s “Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales,” and 2011’s “Bridesmaids.”
She was a dedicated animal advocate who starred in “The Running Man” in 1987, “Clear and Present Danger” in 1994, and “Pirates of Silicon Valley” in 1999. According to her representative, Smith, she recently completed work on the upcoming pickleball film “The Dink,” which stars Ben Stiller.
Stewart’s death was first widely reported by her friend, “Elvira” actress Cassandra Peterson, who paid tribute to the late actress on Instagram Friday in a post shared with her 1.5 million followers.
“My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend @lynnestewart78 Lynne Stewart’s passing,” Peterson wrote in the caption to the post. “One of the nicest, sweetest, and funniest women who ever lived. Miss Yvonne from Pee-wee’s Playhouse will always be ‘the most beautiful woman in Puppetland.'”
