American actor, writer, and director John Paragon, who was known for his work on the popular television series Pee-wee’s Playhouse, in which he portrayed the characters of Jambi the Genie and Pterri, has died in Palm Springs of unknown causes, according to a press release given by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. However, a representative from the Sheriff’s Department has confirmed to Variety that the actor’s cause of death was from prolonged heart disease and chronic alcohol abuse. Paragon’s death, which was only recently made public, has been confirmed to an online news portal by the Riverside County Coroner.
With frequent collaborator Reubens — he had also voiced Pterri the Pterodactyl on the show Playhouse. Paragon is also remembered by fans of the show Seinfeld as Cedric, who formed half of the couple, Bob and Cedric, characters who appeared occasionally to browbeat Kramer, played by Michael Richards. Like Rubens, Paragon was a member of the Los Angeles Comedy Troupe called The Groundlings, and also contributed to the writing of early-stage performances which featured the Pee-wee Herman character. The Jambi character, which he played mostly on stage, carried over from the stage act that it was to the CBS Saturday morning show Playhouse, although it was in a much toned-down, kid-friendlier manner. Paragon, who born in Alaska, also wrote and directed several episodes of the hit 1986-90 series.
As an actor, John Paragon had worked in films such as Eating Raoul (1982), Echo Park (1985), UHF (1989), and Honey, I Blew Up The Kid (1992), as well as on TV series like Cheers, Sledge Hammer!, and Night Stand
