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Los Angeles County public health records released to People show that actor Tim Curry died of coronary artery disease, with a prior stroke and kidney cancer listed as contributing but not primary causes. Curry, best known for his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died August 25 at his home in Toluca Lake at age 80.
What the records show
Documents from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health identify coronary artery disease as the underlying cause of death. The files note a history of stroke and kidney cancer as other significant conditions that played a role in his passing.
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According to the same paperwork, Curry had not undergone surgery for his coronary condition, kidney cancer, or his prior stroke.
A career of stage and screen
Curry rose to international attention in 1975 for his electrifying portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The part remains a defining moment in a career that ranged from classical theatre to family films.
On stage, he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing the Dadaist Tristan Tzara in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, a run that reached both the West End and Broadway through 1976. He was also a three-time Tony Award nominee.
His television and film roles were varied. Early on he appeared in Stephen Frears’s TV production of Three Men in a Boat opposite Michael Palin. He later starred in the six-part UK series The Life & Times of William Shakespeare, portraying the Bard from youth to death, and was cast in the film The Shout with Alan Bates and John Hurt.
Memorable film roles
Across decades Curry took on memorable parts in mainstream cinema: the conniving Rooster Hannigan in 1982’s Annie, the butler Wadsworth in 1985’s Clue, and Long John Silver in 1996’s Muppet Treasure Island. His range made him a familiar face in both genre and family pictures.
He had faced serious health challenges in later years, including a major stroke in 2012 that left him in fragile condition. Despite those setbacks, his performances on stage and screen continued to be widely remembered.
