Tim Curry, the British actor who gave Rocky Horror’s Dr Frank-N-Furter his campy, magnetic menace, has died at the age of 80. The Rocky Horror Picture Show star passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on August 25, 2026, his family confirmed, after more than a decade of health struggles.
The doctor who redefined midnight movies
Born in Cheshire, England, and trained on the London stage, Curry first played the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania in the 1973 stage musical before reprising the role in the 1975 film. The movie flopped on its initial release but found its audience on the midnight circuit, where fans still dress up, sing along and toss props at the screen more than 50 years later.
A gallery of lovable villains
Few actors played menace with such warmth. Curry was a grinning Pennywise in the 1990 TV adaptation of Stephen King’s It, the scheming Rooster Hannigan in Annie, the deadpan butler in Clue and a swashbuckling Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island. He even charmed as the Plaza Hotel concierge in Home Alone 2.
| Role | Project | Why it sticks |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Frank-N-Furter | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Midnight-cult immortal |
| Pennywise | It (1990) | Nightmare clown |
| Rooster Hannigan | Annie (1982) | Con-artist schemer |
| Wadsworth | Clue (1985) | Deadpan butler |
| Long John Silver | Muppet Treasure Island | Pirate trickster |
Life after the 2012 stroke
In 2012, at 67, Curry suffered a debilitating stroke that left him with paralysis on his left side and lasting mobility challenges. He used a wheelchair but kept creating, publishing his memoir Vagabond in 2025. I still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair, and that’s very limiting, he said that year.
What his co-stars said
- Susan Sarandon called him a funny, sexy original, praising his heart even when wheelchair bound.
- Carol Burnett said nobody could play lovable villains better, and called him a dear friend.
The two tributes landed within hours of the news.
A week of heavy losses
Curry’s death lands in a wave of pop-culture farewells. Earlier this week we remembered Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, and we unpacked how Google AI briefly spread false celebrity death reports. Tim Curry’s passing, confirmed by his own family, is all too real, and the wildly original characters he left behind will outlive the rest of us.
