Tim Curry, famous for playing iconic characters such as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Pennywise the Clown in the horror television miniseries “It,” has passed away.

He was 80.

No cause of death was disclosed.

Curry suffered a stroke in 2012 that put him in a wheelchair.

He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

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Known for his arch humor, a putty-like face and gift with voices, Curry earned three Tony nominations — for “Spamalot,” “My Favorite Year” and “Amadeus” — and an Emmy nod in 1994.

“I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior, partly because they’re a tad more interesting,” Curry told The Associated Press in 1993.

Curry burst onto the scene as the Transylvanian Frank-N-Furter in the sci-fi, cross-dressing rock musical “The Rocky Horror Show,” which premiered in 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. He went with it to Broadway and then starred in the 1975 cult-classic movie alongside Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf and Susan Sarandon.

The show was ahead of its time in terms of its representation of LGBTQ+ characters and has entered the pop culture lexicon for its many iconic and memorable scenes, including the song “The Time Warp,” which has been covered by handfuls of artists, and the often-quoted phrase, “Dammit, Janet!” The show was twice revived on Broadway, most recently in 2026 with Luke Evans playing Frank-N-Furter.

“He was a force, a bright fierce flame, an exquisite charm and that rich vocal tone,” Evans wrote on Instagram. “I hope, wherever you are, you’d approve of one more Frank having the time of his life in those heels.”

“I don’t fear death. I try to avoid it, as I think we all do,” Curry said in a 2025 interview.

“But I suspect that in the end, I will welcome it,” he added.

Watch below:

NBC News shared further:

British writer and comedian, Jonathan Lynn, who directed “Clue,” told NBC News he last saw Curry about a year ago during an interview.

Lynn, 83, recalled the interviewer telling Curry “he was so well known and yet no one seemed to know him very well. And he said, ‘Well, I think that’s appropriate.’”

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The pair knew each other since they were teenagers and even attended the same school in England.

“He told me he had become an actor because I did,” Lynn said.

“Clue”co-stars Lesley Ann Warren, who played Miss Scarlet, and Michael McKean, who played Mr. Green, shared their condolences on social media.

“My dear companion in crime, the brilliant, hilarious, hysterically funny, magician of artistry has left us,” Warren posted on Instagram alongside throwback photos of the two together. “What an unbelievable joy to have shared a sound stage with him and to engage with such a master talent.”

McKean said on X that his last conversation with Curry “was about life and love and laughter.”

“Our blessing was that we had Tim Curry in our lives. RIP, my friend,” he wrote on his post.

Curry had long been dealing with health issues following a massive stroke in 2012 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to walk.

Born on April 19, 1946, Curry amassed hundreds of credits across film, television and theater throughout his career spanning more than five decades.

 

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