Rocky Horror Icon Tim Curry Dies at 80

Tim Curry, the actor whose fishnets-and-feathers turn in The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a midnight-movie touchstone, has died at 80. Longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz says Curry died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home after years of serious health problems. No cause was given, reports the AP—which recalls Curry's "arch humor, putty-like face, and gift with voices." TMZ reports Curry began acting in the late 1960s before landing the role that defined him for generations: Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror, a box-office blip that evolved into a participatory cult phenomenon.

He went on to a prolific career across film, TV, and stage, terrifying viewers as Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries It and popping up in family staples like Annie, Clue, Home Alone 2, and Muppet Treasure Island. He earned three Tony nominations—for Spamalot, My Favorite Year, and Amadeus—and an Emmy nod over five decades. "I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior, partly because they're a tad more interesting," Curry told the AP in 1993. A major stroke in 2012 left him with lasting mobility issues; while promoting his memoir, Vagabond, last year, he said he still could not walk.