John Paragon, also known as “Jambi The Genie” from “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”, was buried in a unique urn

Friends and family of actor/writer/director John Paragon paid tribute to him earlier this week, burying him at Hollywood Forever in a unique urn in memory of his Pee-Wee’s Playhouse character, Jambi the Genie.

The purple and gold box containing his remains is a replica of a similar Jambi box seen on the TV show. It is located at Abbey-Haven of Devotion, E-2 East Wall, Niche D-3 in the cemetery where many celebrities and Hollywood executives are buried.

Paragon died on April 3, 2021 at the age of 67 from complications of a heart condition. His ashes were held by actress Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), who along with actor Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) came up with the idea for the Jambi box. A fundraiser on GoFundMe has raised more than $14,000 for the memorial.

Paragon has written, directed and starred in numerous television series and specials. He started with the improv group The Groundlings, where he came into contact with Reubens and the late Phil Hartman.

on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, he played Jambi the Genie and provided the voice for Pterri the Pterodactyl. He also wrote many of the regular season episodes and along with Reubens the Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special 1988, for which they were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Special.

His other roles include Cedric, one half of the couple Bob and Cedric on the television series His field; the title character in the children’s film The Frog Prince; the sex shop salesman Eat Raul; and the owner of a Strip-O-Gram store in the 1986 film echo park.

Paragon worked with Peterson on numerous Elvira projects, including the recurring role of “The Breather,” an annoying caller, for her debut television series on KHJ-TV-Los Angeles.

He also made several appearances in Knott’s Scary Farm with Elvira at the Good Time Theatre. One of the highlights of the show was when he walked through the audience as Ramone Azteca.

Paragon also worked with Walt Disney Imagineering to find ways to incorporate impromptu performances into Disney park attractions. In this capacity, he served as Lucky the Dinosaur’s guardian during test runs of the animatronic character.

He returned to appear as Jambi the Genie in the Broadway outing of the Pee-wee Herman show, performing at the Stephen Sondheim Theater on October 26, 2010.

Peterson is credited by Paragon’s sister, Mary Roberts, with coming up with the urn concept. The creators were Chad Colebank of Tweeterhead, Jack Matthews, Chie Izuma, Aaron McNaught and Queenie Black.