Tim Curry: ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Star’s Cause of Death Revealed as His Struggle with Multiple Health Issues Exposed

Tim Curry’s cause of death has been revealed following the actor’s death at age 80 on Aug. 25. Curry died from coronary artery disease, according to documents from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health obtained by People. The documents also listed a history of stroke and kidney cancer as significant conditions that contributed to his death.

Curry did not undergo surgery for his coronary artery disease, kidney cancer or previous stroke, according to the outlet. Last Wednesday, the LAPD told Page Six that officers responded to the 10500 block of La Maida Street at 11:23 p.m. on Aug. 25, following a report of a death involving an 80-year-old.

Painful Death

The LAPD confirmed that a death investigation report was completed. The British actor, best known for playing the flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” had struggled with his health for years after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012 while receiving a massage.

The medical emergency brought him “way too close to death,” he recalled in a 2025 interview with The New York Times.

“It’s a curious experience,” he shared. “I didn’t know it was happening at the time. They told me at the hospital and operated on my brain and removed, I think, two blood clots, which is a sort of grim picture. I found that very difficult to cope with as an image.”

Curry said the experience left him feeling “like somebody had paddled around in my brain.”

The stroke paralyzed the left side of his body and temporarily took away his ability to speak, something he found terrifying.

“I think my father had a stroke when he was 45 and died later from pneumonia,” he told the NYT. “And I kept remembering my mother talking about going to see him in hospital. He could only blink for yes and no. I dreaded that. I didn’t want that to happen to me. It was very peculiar not to be able to speak, and to find a voice again was difficult.”

Leaving His Mark

Although Curry eventually regained his ability to speak, he never recovered his mobility and relied on a wheelchair. During a 50th anniversary screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in Los Angeles in September 2025, Curry spoke about his health, saying he “still can’t walk, which is why I’m in this silly chair, and that’s very limiting.”

“I won’t be singing and I won’t be dancing very soon,” he shared. “I still have real problems with my left leg.”

The three-time Tony nominee earned widespread praise for his film roles, including appearances in “Annie,” “Clue,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where he played the Concierge, and “Muppet Treasure Island,” in which he portrayed Long John Silver.

He also became widely known for playing Pennywise in the ABC miniseries “It,” based on Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel.

Curry released his memoir, “Vagabond,” last year.