John Paragon, Pee-wee's Playhouse's Jambi the Genie, dies at 66

TMZ

The Riverside Sheriff's Department says Paragon died in April of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with other significant conditions of chronic alcohol abuse. His death was revealed until this week. Paragon was best known for playing Jambi the Genie, whose face would appear in a jeweled box whenever Pee-wee Herman wished for something. Paragon wrote several episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse with Paul Reubens and directed 20 episodes. Paragon also recurred on three episodes of Seinfeld as the "street tough" Cedric, who along with sidekick Bob harassed and beat up Kramer. UPDATE: Paul Reubens pays tribute to the "sly and wickedly funny" Paragon: "He contributed so heavily to my success. Over decades, we performed together, wrote together and hung out together. In our affection for one another (and our competitiveness), we made each other funnier. We felt magical together, and I think sometimes that translated into the work we created. When The Pee-wee Herman Show was born, John had an idea about being a magic genie. A day later, he and I were driving along Hollywood Boulevard when I looked over and saw a sign for a sandwich shop named ‘Jambi’s.' From the time we were both starting out, through my success and fame as Pee-wee Herman, John was my closest friend. And through all of those years, we had huge amounts of fun and laughed our asses off together. I really loved him. Rest In Peace, John. I was lucky to know you so deeply. Mekka Lekka Hi, Mekka Hiney Ho, John. Long live Jambi."