Actor Paul Reubens, best known for portraying the iconic children’s character Pee-wee Herman, died at the age of 70 over the weekend after a private six-year battle with cancer.

"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy, and belief in the importance of kindness," read a statement shared to his official Facebook page on Monday.

As news of his passing devastated ‘80s kids and stars alike, one moment stood out as a high point in Pee-wee history — the time comedian Gilbert Gottfried headed to Reubens’ defense amid his early ‘90s legal woes.

In July 1991, Reubens was arrested after allegedly exposing himself at a theater in Sarasota, Florida. Though his arrest largely divided fans and colleagues, CBS yanking re-runs of Pee-wee's Playhouse as protesters gathered to show their support for the comic at a "Hands Off Our Pee-wee Rally” in San Francisco, Calif., per Entertainment Weekly, Reubens had one notable Hollywood defender — good ‘ol Gottfried.

While presenting the Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program at the 1991 Emmy Awards, taking place one month after the arrest, Gottfried stood up for his friend, relaying his passion for getting it on solo style in a spectacularly unhinged pro-masturbation rant.

“I wanna get something off my chest, you know, I’ll tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, I sleep a lot better since Pee-wee Herman has been arrested,” Gottfried, who passed away in 2022, commenced his speech.

“If masturbation is a crime I should be on death row,” he joked, evoking uproarious cheers from the audience. “If masturbation is against the law, I should have been sent to the electric chair years ago,” the comic continued, noting that “by age 14,” he “was already Al Capone.”

But his penchant for wanking wasn’t just for fun — it also helped him develop some superhuman abilities.

“Right now, I’m like Superman, you could put charcoal in my hands and you could crush it into a diamond,” he joked before detailing just how much his hand strength could prove troublesome to relevant authorities. “It’s like if the police tried to arrest me, it’d be like ‘quick! Stay away from his right hand!’” Your puny weapons can’t hurt me!”

RIP Pee-wee Herman, we can only hope that you and Gottfried are laughing it up — among other activities — at the big theater in the sky.