Tim Curry, whose extensive roster of long-celebrated performances included unforgettable turns as Pennywise in It and Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, is dead.
TMZ broke the news on Wednesday (Aug. 26), reporting that the beloved actor and performer died at home in the Los Angeles area Tuesday evening. He was 80. Additional details were not immediately shared.
In an interview last year, the Emmy (and Grammy and Tony) nominee recalled how his luck in life turned in 2012 when he suffered a stroke. Despite the gravity of the moment, Curry was able to elicit laughter when recalling an interaction he had with a responding paramedic.
“I was having a massage at the time and I didn’t even actually notice anything,” he recalled. “But the guy who was doing the massage said, ‘I’m worried about you. I think want to call an ambulance.’ And he did, and I said, ‘That’s so silly.’ They put me in an ambulance and a very nice paramedic said, ‘I’m going to give you morphine.’ I said, ‘Bring it on.’ I still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, released in 1975 and based on Richard O’Brien’s 1973 stage musical, marked Curry’s film debut. In it, he reprised the role of Dr. Frank-N-Further, whose instantly recognizable aesthetic has provided the template for numerous homages in the decades since, all while the film itself has remained an unparalleled staple of the theatrical experience.
In 1990, Curry led the two-part TV adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal horror opus It, bringing his unique flair to none other than Pennywise himself.
Though foremost in many fans’ minds, these two triumphant performances are part of a larger oeuvre that also saw him bringing standout energy to the 1985 Clue board game adaptation and joining the Muppets for 1996’s Muppet Treasure Island.
RIP.
