Tim Curry, the British actor who created Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died aged 80.
His longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz confirmed that Curry died on Tuesday at his home in the Toluca Lake neighbourhood of Los Angeles. IGN and NBC News report the cause of death has not been revealed.
Tim Curry’s career: from Frank-N-Furter to Pennywise
Curry was born on 19 April 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire, and read English and drama at the University of Birmingham. After joining the original London cast of Hair in 1968, he met Richard O’Brien, who wrote the part of Frank-N-Furter for him. The stage show reached film in 1975, and Curry’s corseted, lipsticked mad scientist made The Rocky Horror Picture Show a cult classic.
He built a career out of parts nobody else could play: Pennywise in the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King’s It, Wadsworth in Clue, Mr Hector the Plaza concierge in Home Alone 2 — all the Home Alone films stream in the UAE — and Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island. His voice carried FernGully, The Wild Thornberrys Movie and the English dub of The Cat Returns.
Tim Curry’s later years
A severe stroke in 2012 left Curry unable to walk, and he said he had to learn to speak again. He kept working, returning to Rocky Horror as the narrator in the 2016 television remake, and appeared at the film’s 50th anniversary screening in September 2025, the year he published his memoir, Vagabond.
Tributes to Tim Curry
Carol Burnett, his Annie co-star, led the tributes:
“Nobody could play lovable villains better than he could. He was a dear friend. I was blessed to know him.”
Carol Burnett
The Muppets, who made him Long John Silver, called him an honorary Muppet:
“Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry. As a performer he was unparalleled — witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny.”
The Muppets
Asked last October whether he feared death, Curry said:
“No, I’m not. I don’t fear death. I try to avoid it, as I think we all do, but I suspect that in the end I will welcome it.”
Tim Curry, CBS Sunday Morning
His death comes a day after country singer Dolly Parton’s was announced, and follows Catherine O’Hara, who died at 71 in January. Curry is survived by his nieces and nephews.
What did Tim Curry die of?
The cause of death has not been revealed. His manager Marcia Hurwitz confirmed he died on Tuesday at his home in the Toluca Lake neighbourhood of Los Angeles, aged 80.
Who was Tim Curry?
A British actor best known as Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). He also played Pennywise in the 1990 It miniseries, Wadsworth in Clue (1985) and Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and won a Daytime Emmy for voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan and the Pirates.
Why was Tim Curry in a wheelchair?
A severe stroke in 2012 left him partially paralysed. He learned to speak again and kept working, returning to Rocky Horror as the narrator in the 2016 television remake.
What was Tim Curry’s last film?
Burke & Hare (2010), a British comedy. He appeared at the 50th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in September 2025 and published his memoir, Vagabond, that year.
