Lynne Marie Stewart Dies: ‘Pee-Wee’s Playhouse’ & ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Star Was 78

Paul Reubens and Lynne Marie Stewart in 'Pee-wee's Playhouse'
CBS / Everett Collection

Lynne Marie Stewart, best known for playing Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse has died at the age of 78.

News of Stewart’s death surfaced in various tributes from friends, most notably from Elvira star Cassandra Peterson who captioned an image on Instagram, “My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend @lynnestewart78 Lynne Stewart’s passing. One of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. The iconic Miss Yvonne of Pee-wee’s Playhouse: She’ll always be ‘the most beautiful woman in Puppetland.'” Stewart’s cause of death is unknown at this time.

Lynne Marie Stewart and Danny DeVito in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'

Patrick McElhenney / ©FXX / Courtesy Everett Collection

As mentioned, above, Stewart made her impact on pop culture through Pee-wee’s Playhouse in which she starred alongside the late Paul Reubens. But Peterson, who came up together with Stewart at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and collaborated with Stewart on other projects, wasn’t the only one to pay tribute.

The actress also memorably portrayed Charlie Kelly’s (Charlie Day) mom, Bonnie on FXX’s long-running comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Day took time to honor his TV mom. In a video clip of Stewart from the series, Day overlaid a caption on Instagram that read, “RIP TV mom. Thanks for 20 years of laughs. You deserve a standing ovation.” He added, “The brilliant and talented Lynne Marie Stewart. Rest in peace. Thank you for all the years of laughter.”

Along with her roles on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Stewart made her mark on shows likM*A*S*H, Laverne & ShirleyThe Jeffersons, DynastySuperman, 2 Broke Girls, Curb Your EnthusiasmGrey’s AnatomySon of the BeachSpin City, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and Arrested Development to name a few. Her film credits include American Graffiti, The Last Married Couple in America, BridesmaidsOther People, and The Running Man among many others.

Stewart’s death comes almost two years after Pee-wee costar Reubens’ who died after a battle with cancer at the age of 70 in 2023.