Actor Tim Curry died of coronary artery disease at his Los Angeles home on August 25 at the age of 80, official public health records revealed.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health determined the cause of death in an official report obtained on Wednesday by People magazine.
The report listed Curry's history of stroke and kidney cancer as contributing factors to his death. However, health officials clarified that those contributing factors were entirely unrelated to his coronary artery disease.
According to the public health report, Curry had not undergone any surgical operations related to either his coronary artery disease or his contributing health conditions.
Curry died at his residence in Los Angeles on August 25, as confirmed by his manager the following day. Officials confirmed that no foul play is suspected in his death, which followed more than a decade of serious health difficulties.
Coronary artery disease is a common cardiovascular condition involving the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to plaque buildup in the arteries. Los Angeles, where the actor lived for decades, is the center of the American entertainment industry in Southern California.
Medical History and 2012 Stroke
Curry had struggled with major health issues since 2012, when he suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 67 that left him unable to walk. Following the medical emergency, the actor remained largely out of the public eye for years.
Prior to his death, Curry was seen in public in April in Los Angeles, where he appeared frail while being pushed in a wheelchair.
Curry, who relocated permanently to Los Angeles in 1988, was spotted getting a taste of home at the Friar Tuck Shoppe in the city. The store, which sells British goods, is nestled next to the Robin Hood British Pub in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles.
In October 2025, Curry spoke openly about his 2012 health crisis during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. He credited the masseuse who was attending to him for recognizing the signs of a stroke and potentially saving his life.
The actor suffered two brain bleeds during the stroke, which he did not realize was happening because he felt no physical symptoms while lying on a massage table in his Los Angeles home.
Curry recalled the moment during his interview with CBS Sunday Morning: "It was so strange. I was having a massage, and the guy who was giving me a massage said, 'I'm worried about you, I think we should call a doctor.'"
He continued: "I felt fine, I had no symptoms that I was aware of, but clearly he had noticed some."
Describing the emergency response, Curry said: "He called 911, and an ambulance came and they carried me down the stairs of my house on a stretcher and put me in an ambulance and gave me morphine, which was interesting. I wasn't in pain."
He added: "I was extremely nervous because I didn't know what was going on. They didn't know I'd had a stroke and I didn't know either."
Curry also recalled asking the emergency responders to take him to a specific medical facility: "I said, can you take me to Cedars-Sinai, which is probably the best hospital in the city, and they said they had to take me to a nearer one, which was a Kaiser Permanente."
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a premier hospital located in Los Angeles, while Kaiser Permanente operates a broad network of medical centers throughout California.
Recovery and Personal Reflections
When doctors informed him that he had suffered a stroke, Curry said he thought immediately of his father, James Curry, who had survived a stroke when the future actor was just 11 years old.
Curry admitted feeling frightened by the diagnosis: "I knew that a lot of people didn't survive a stroke, and that he was an exception, and so I was scared."
Following the stroke, Curry underwent brain surgery and spent about a month in the hospital undergoing intensive rehabilitation.
Reflecting on his recovery process, Curry said: "I had to learn how to speak again, that was very weird. I hated not being able to speak because I speak a lot. I have to be told to shut up a lot. I love words, I love to communicate."
Iconic Roles and Stage Career
Curry was best known for playing Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1973 stage production and 1975 film adaptation of the cult classic musical comedy The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a role that established his international stardom.
In 1985, Curry starred as the devil-like Lord of Darkness opposite Tom Cruise in the Ridley Scott dark fantasy film Legend.
That same year, he portrayed the butler Wadsworth in the mystery comedy Clue, a film inspired by the classic mystery board game.
Both Legend and Clue were initial box office failures upon release in 1985. However, despite their poor initial commercial performance, both films went on to attract passionate cult followings over subsequent decades.
Curry was also widely recognized for his performance in the 1992 comedy film Home Alone 2, in which he played Mr Hector, the stuffy and suspicious concierge at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Beyond cinema, Curry enjoyed a distinguished stage career. Between 2004 and 2007, he portrayed King Arthur in the Monty Python musical Spamalot, appearing in stage productions in Chicago, on Broadway, and in London's West End.
His extensive theatrical credits included notable roles in stage productions such as My Favorite Year, What About Dick?, and Travesties.
In 2015, Curry was honored with The Actors Fund Lifetime Achievement Award during the Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles. The Tony Awards represent the highest commercial honors for American theatre productions.
Final Public Appearance
Curry spoke publicly about his physical condition last year during a special screening marking the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Addressing the audience at the Academy Museum event, Curry said: "I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting."
He added: "So, I won't be singing, and I won't be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg."
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, located in Los Angeles, is the premier institution in the United States devoted to cinema, film history, and motion picture arts.
