Tim Curry, the British actor and singer whose magnetic performance as Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a cultural landmark, has died aged 80. He died in Los Angeles on 25 August 2026. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Born in Cheshire on 19 April 1946, Curry originated Frank-N-Furter in the 1973 London stage production of The Rocky Horror Show before carrying the role into the 1975 film. His fearless comic timing, rich voice and theatrical precision made the performance one of cinema's most enduring cult creations.
His screen career ranged from the deliciously exasperated butler Wadsworth in Clue and the demonic Darkness in Legend to Pennywise in the 1990 television adaptation of It and the Plaza Hotel concierge in Home Alone 2. He also built an extensive voice career across animation and games.
Curry continued to appear publicly after a major stroke in 2012. Across five decades, he moved easily between stage, film, television, music and voice performance without ever becoming predictable.
These archive photographs revisit three appearances around the turn of the millennium: the Charlie's Angels world premiere, the Band of Brothers premiere and a Halloween reunion with the Rocky Horror cast in New York. In every frame, the wit and presence are unmistakably his.
