'Rocky Horror' Star Tim Curry Dead at 80

Published August 26, 2026 8:18 AM PDT | Updated August 26, 2026 10:05 AM PDT

Tim Curry -- the legendary film and TV actor best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ the actor -- who had been plagued with serious health issues for more than a decade -- passed away late Tuesday night at his Los Angeles home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police responded to his house at 11:23 PM Tuesday night. We're told there is no foul play suspected in the case.

Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ reveals police responded to a death investigation at his home. The Los Angeles Fire Department says they were called earlier in the night over a medical emergency ... and the subject was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tim got his start in Hollywood in the late 1960s ... before catching his big break in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

While initially ignored by critics, the film developed a second life as a cultural event in the "midnight movie" space ... much like "The Room" would decades later.

Fans may also recognize Tim as the terrifying clown Pennywise from the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King's "It" and his role as Mr. Hector in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

Tim's other credits include "Annie," "Clue," "The Hunt for Red October," "Muppet Treasure Island," "Addams Family Reunion," and "Scary Movie 2." Tim was universally respected in the acting world ... receiving 3 Tony nominations and an Emmy nod during his 5 decades in the industry.

While always an active performer -- both in his film roles and onstage as a theater actor -- health issues slowed Tim down in recent years. He suffered a massive stroke in 2012, which required brain surgery.

Last year -- around the time he released his memoir "Vagabond" -- Tim stated he was still unable to walk.

We last caught up with Tim in 2017 ... when we asked him what he thought of the Bill Skarsgård-led "It" film.

Tim was 80 years old.

RIP