Tim Curry died from coronary artery disease, according to reports.
Curry died August 25 at his home in Los Angeles. The beloved star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue, It and Annie was 80.
According to documents from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health obtained by People, Curry also suffered from a history of stroke and kidney cancer, both of which contributed to his death but did not cause it.
Curry had spoken openly about the 2012 stroke that left him unable to walk. However, his kidney cancer diagnosis had not been publicly shared.
Born Timothy James Curry in Cheshire, England, in 1946, Curry was the younger child of Patricia, a school secretary, and James, a Methodist chaplain for the Royal Navy. He had an older sister, Judith – a concert pianist, who died in 2001.
Curry burst onto the West End scene after graduating from Birmingham University, when he was cast in the original U.K. production of the hit hippie musical Hair.
Describing it as a “liberating” experience — one which involved stripping onstage — Curry played the part of the free-spirited hippie, Woof. He became good friends with his co-star Richard O’Brien, who went on to write the role that would define Curry’s career: cross-dressing mad scientist Dr Frank-N-Furter in musical The Rocky Horror Show.
The camp, sexually subversive rock musical, opened in London in 1973, and Curry took on the role for two years, performing onstage in New York and at the Roxy in Los Angeles. In 1975, he reprised the role for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Among the many paying tribute to Curry after his death was Susan Sarandon, who co-starred in the film version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Sharing several photos of the pair together on Instagram, Sarandon wrote: “What a funny, sexy, original he was. But what I loved about him most was his heart.
“Even wheelchair bound he continued to be so sweet and generous with his fans. Thank you Tim for meaning so much to so many people. Love you, S.”
Barry Bostwick, who portrayed Janet’s fiance Brad in the film, also paid tribute, writing: “The river was deep but you swam it… the road was long but you ran it. Dammit Tim, I love you!”
Luke Evans, who portrayed Frank-N-Furter in the 2026 Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show, wrote: “Three weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Tim Curry. He was a force, a bright fierce flame, an exquisite charm and that rich vocal tone, he was an inspiration to me and so many more people for the roles he played and the effect he had on so many of us.”
Beyond Rocky Horror, Curry was famed for his extensive work on stage and roles in films such as Clue, Annie, Spamalot and It.
In July 2012, Curry suffered a major stroke and required the use of a wheelchair.
After this, he pivoted predominantly to voice acting, a trade that he had long honed across TV, film and video games. Among his prolific voice acting CV were projects such as FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Peter Pan & the Pirates, the latter of which won him an Emmy Award.
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