Actor Tim Curry has died at the age of 80.
The British performer was best known for his work as Dr Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which he performed signature songs like Sweet Transvestite and I’m Going Home.
His other stand-out roles included Pennywise the clown in the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s It, Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island and the concierge in the festive family favourite Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.
On Wednesday afternoon, TMZ was the first to report the news of his death, claiming that the performer died on Tuesday night at his home in Los Angeles, before his management confirmed this to be the case to Variety.
A cause of death was not disclosed. In recent years, Tim had struggled with a number of health issues, following a major stroke in 2012.
Tim began his acting career in the late 1960s, appearing in the stage musical Hair before being cased in the original theatrical production of Rocky Horror, which was adapted for the screen in the 1970s.
His other notable screen work included the comedic whodunnit Clue (based on the board game Cluedo), the action film Charlie’s Angels and a short arc in the TV series Will & Grace, playing the on-screen brother of fellow Brit John Cleese.
In 2007, he was nominated for a Tony for his work in the Monty Python musical Spamalot, and was also a prolific voice actor, perhaps most famously portraying Sir Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys.
More recently, he returned to the Rocky Horror universe when he played The Criminologist in the TV special The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, alongside Laverne Cox, Adam Lambert and Christina Milian.
Last year, he also contributed to the documentary Strange Journey, which explored the history of Rocky Horror, and reflected on his life story in the memoir Vagabond.
