Susan Sarandon has paid tribute to her Rocky Horror Picture Show co-star Tim Curry, who has died at the age of 80. The British star of screen and stage, also famed for playing the murderous clown Pennywise in the It mini-series and a villainous hotelier in Home Alone 2, died late Tuesday (25 August) at his Los Angeles home. A cause of death was not immediately given, though the actor had suffered from significant health problems since a major stroke in 2012.
Sarandon and Curry starred in the cult classic Rocky Horror in 1975 as a timid, virginal newlywed and the mad transvestite alien she becomes entangled with, respectively. Writing on her Instagram, alongside a carousel of images of the pair together through the years, Sarandon wrote: “What a funny, sexy, original he was. But what I loved about him most was his heart.
Even wheelchair bound he continued to be so sweet and generous with his fans.” She concluded the message with, “thank you Tim for meaning so much to so many people. Love you, S.” Curry experienced a stroke in 2012, which led to him requiring a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Curry shot to fame in London’s West End with roles in a series of subversive musicals in the Sixties and Seventies, among them Hair, where he made his professional debut.
He originated the role of Rocky Horror’s Dr Frank-N-Furter in 1973, before travelling with the show to Broadway two years later. He then reprised the role for the film adaptation. He later received three Tony Award nominations for his roles in Amadeus, My Favorite Year and Spamalot.
His film credits also included the Eighties comedy Clue, the Muppets musical Muppet Treasure Island and the 1982 film adaptation of the musical Annie. On television, he memorably voiced nature documentary host Nigel Thornberry in the celebrated Nineties animated comedy The Wild Thornberrys. Sarandon was joined by a number of Curry’s Rocky Horror Show family members in paying tribute to the star.
Richard O’Brien, who co-wrote the original musical, said in a statement that Curry was “a wonderful man by nature who was also a wonderful performer”, adding: “He never sought attention and never put himself before the roles that he played. He was, in short, a good egg and class act.” New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
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