English actor Tim Curry has died at the age of 80 at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, his manager confirmed the following day.
The veteran star had suffered from serious health issues for more than a decade following a major stroke in 2012. Authorities confirmed that no foul play is suspected in his death.
Curry revealed in October 2025 that he owed his life to a masseuse who recognized the warning signs of a stroke while working on him at his home in California. Although the actor felt no symptoms at the time, the masseuse immediately called emergency services.
Emergency response on the massage table
Curry recounted the medical emergency during an interview on CBS Sunday Morning in October 2025. He explained that he suffered two brain bleeds while lying on the massage table in his Los Angeles residence.
"It was so strange," Curry said. "I was having a massage and the guy who was giving me a massage said, 'I'm worried about you, I think we should call a doctor.'"
Curry recalled that he felt completely fine and was unaware of any physical symptoms. "I felt fine, I had no symptoms that I was aware of, but clearly he had noticed some," he said. The masseuse dialed 911 for help.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after the call and carried the actor down the stairs of his house on a stretcher. Paramedics administered morphine during the journey in the ambulance, though Curry noted he was not in physical pain.
"I was extremely nervous because I didn't know what was going on," Curry said. "They didn't know I'd had a stroke and I didn't know either."
Curry requested to be taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a major tertiary hospital in Los Angeles. However, emergency personnel informed him that medical protocol required transport to the nearest facility, which was a Kaiser Permanente hospital.
Diagnosis and speech recovery
Upon arriving at the hospital, doctors confirmed that Curry had suffered a stroke. The diagnosis immediately reminded the actor of his father, James Curry, who had survived a stroke when Tim was 11 years old.
"I knew that a lot of people didn't survive a stroke, and that he was an exception, and so I was scared," Curry said.
Following the diagnosis, Curry underwent brain surgery and spent about a month in the hospital for rehabilitation.
"I had to learn how to speak again, that was very weird," Curry admitted. "I hated not being able to speak because I speak a lot. I have to be told to shut up a lot. I love words, I love to communicate."
Stage and screen career
Curry achieved global fame in 1973 when he starred as Dr Frank-N-Furter in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show, later reprising the role in the 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film became a legendary cult classic celebrated for its long-running midnight screenings.
In 1992, Curry gained further worldwide recognition in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, portraying Mr Hector, the suspicious concierge at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
Between 2004 and 2007, Curry portrayed King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot, performing on stage in Chicago, on Broadway, and in London's West End. His extensive theatre credits also included stage productions such as What About Dick?, My Favorite Year, and Travesties.
In 2015, Curry was honored with The Actors Fund Lifetime Achievement Award during a Tony Awards Viewing Party held in Los Angeles in recognition of his contributions to performing arts.
Anniversary appearance in Los Angeles
Following his stroke at age 67, Curry remained largely out of the public eye while using a wheelchair for mobility. However, he made a rare public appearance at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles during a 50th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Addressing the audience at the screening, Curry spoke candidly about his health. "I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting," he said. "So, I won't be singing and I won't be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg."
