HEALTHWheelchair-Bound Tim Curry 'Still Couldn't Walk' More Than a Decade After Suffering a Stroke During a Massage — Before Actor's Sad Death at Age 80
Tim Curry dealt with mobility issues more than a decade after he had a stroke.
Aug. 26 2026, Updated 12:00 p.m. ET
Tim Curry still struggled to walk more than a decade after suffering a stroke during a massage.
The actor was candid about his health issues prior to dying at age 80 on the night of Tuesday, August 25.
Tim Curry Revealed He Still Could't Walk
Tim Curry died on August 25.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show star opened up about his condition while reuniting with his costars for a special screening celebrating the cult classic's 50th anniversary at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles in 2025.
Curry arrived at the special screening in a wheelchair.
"I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting," he said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "So I won't be singing and I won't be dancing very soon."
Curry added that he continued to have "real problems" with his left leg more than a decade after his stroke.
The Actor Suffered a Stroke During a Massage
Tim Curry had a stroke during a massage in 2012.
Curry also detailed the unusual circumstances surrounding his 2012 stroke.
"I was having a massage at the time and I didn't even actually notice anything, but the guy who was doing the massage said, 'I'm worried about you, I want to call an ambulance,'" he recalled.
"And he did, and I said, 'That's so silly,'" the actor added.
News of the actor's stroke was not released to the public until one year later.
"Tim is doing great," his agent told The Daily Mail at the time. "He absolutely can speak and is recovering at this time and in great humor."
The It actor opened up about how his stroke affected his health his 2025 memoir, Vagabond.
"It turned out that my brain was inflamed enough, or filled with enough blood, that bone from my skull had to be removed and implanted into my abdomen to keep my brain, and me, alive,” he detailed. “Thankfully the operation was successful (which was by no means guaranteed).”
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Tim Curry Died at 80
Tim Curry died at his Los Angeles, California home.
Curry died at his Los Angeles, Calif home after police responded to a call at around 11:23 p.m., law enforcement told TMZ.
Police have found no signs of foul play in relation to his death.
A cause of death has not been released at this time.
Tim Curry's Iconic Hollywood Career
Tim Curry was widely known for his role in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Curry began his acting career in the late 1960s before landing his breakout role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
He went on to play Pennywise in the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King's It and Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
