"Blue's Clues" was one of the most popular children's shows on Nickelodeon throughout its decade-long run from 1996 to 2006.

Steve Burns, who hosted the show, became a major celebrity among the younger crowds and was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2001. In 2000, he was named one of People's most eligible bachelors alongside George Clooney and Ben Affleck.

But in 2002, at the height of the show's popularity, the beloved Burns abruptly left "Blues" to "go to college" in his final episode. The actor was actually 29 at the time.

Rumors immediately began to swirl that Burns died of a drug overdose, was a drug addict, or was killed in a car crash.



When I asked a coworker/fan of the show — who shall remain nameless — what she thought happened to Steve, she had also heard he turned to drugs.

Not so, says Burns — who is alive — in an interview for Nickelodeon's special "Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue."

Burns reveals that one of the main reasons he left the show was because he was going bald, and he didn't want that to happen on national television in front of his young fans.

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"I knew I wasn't going to be doing children's television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kid's TV show," Burns, now 40, said in an interview on the Nick Jr. special.

"And it was happening ... fast," he added.

We went back to early "Blue's Clues" episodes and, indeed, Burns had a full head of hair:

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But over the years, his hairline started to recede:

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By his final episode, Burns was covering his bald spot with a hat:

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That's when Nickelodeon hired 24-year-old Donovan Patton to replace Burns:

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