Actor and Singer Tim Curry Dies at 80

Tim Curry, the acclaimed performer of screen and stage, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 80. He is most widely remembered for his role as the flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a role he also performed in the 1973 stage musical. Curry was noted for his versatility, appearing in films such as Legend, Clue, and Muppet Treasure Island, as well as the 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King's It, where he played Pennywise the Clown. His stage career included Tony nominations for roles in Amadeus, My Favorite Year, and Monty Python's Spamalot.

Curry's career spanned various mediums, including voice acting for computer games and a music career in the late 1970s, highlighted by the song I Do The Rock. A stroke in 2012 largely removed him from the entertainment industry. While center-left coverage focused on his liberation and the specific impact of his screen roles, center-right coverage framed him as a member of a distinguished post-war British acting tradition and noted that his comedic handling of queer material in Rocky Horror might be more difficult to achieve in the current cultural climate.