Hollywood mourns Tim Curry: 'The head of our family has just died'

He made an eyebrow do more acting than most performers manage with their entire body. He turned a glitzy mad scientist into a cultural icon. And for six decades, Tim Curry made audiences laugh, squirm, and fall a little bit in love, often all in the same scene.

The British actor, who died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home at age 80, is being remembered not just for his shape-shifting career but for the warmth colleagues say he carried behind it. His manager, Marcia Hurwitz, confirmed he passed away peacefully at his Toluca Lake residence on August 25. Curry had used a wheelchair since a severe stroke in 2012.

Born in Warrington, England, in 1946, Curry built a body of work almost impossible to categorise, camp horror one moment, family comedy the next. He haunted a generation as Pennywise in the 1990 TV adaptation of Stephen King's It, charmed kids as a scheming hotel clerk in Home Alone 2, sailed the high seas in Muppet Treasure Island, and even lent his menace to The Hunt for Red October. On stage, he originated roles that would define his legacy long before Hollywood came calling.

But it's Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the scientist at the center of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, that cemented him as a cult legend. Curry played the role on stage before immortalising it on film, turning a midnight-movie oddity into one of the most beloved cult classics ever made.

Susan Sarandon, who played Janet Weiss opposite Curry in Rocky Horror, described him as funny,and utterly original, adding that even after his stroke left him wheelchair-bound, he remained warm and generous toward his fans.

Nell Campbell, another Rocky Horror cast member, told the BBC that Curry's passing felt like losing the head of the film's extended family.  "I feel like the head of our family has just died because he was the head of the Rocky Horror family."

Luke Evans, who stepped into Frank-N-Furter's heels for a Broadway revival, called Curry a fierce and dazzling presence, crediting him with inspiring generations of performers to take bigger risks in their own work. The official Rocky Horror Picture Show Broadway account echoed that sentiment, thanking Curry for the fearlessness he brought to the stage, a nod to his signature line urging audiences not to just dream, but to be it.

Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical and co-wrote the film, remembered Curry as someone who never chased the spotlight and always let the role speak for itself, calling him simply a class act.

Curry's range meant tributes poured in from every corner of his career. The official Muppets account noted he was among the rare humans to earn honorary Muppet status, praising his wit and charm from his time aboard the Muppet Treasure Island crew as one of their proudest collaborations.

Carol Burnett, who played his sister in Annie, shared a clip of their scenes together, remarking that no one played a lovable villain quite like Curry could.

Rob Schneider, his Home Alone 2 co-star, called him a sensational character actor whose expressive face, especially that eyebrow, spoke louder than most actors' entire performances, adding that simply watching Curry work made him better at his own craft.

Curry's turn as the butler in the cult comedy Clue brought tributes from his former castmates too. Michael McKean, who spoke with Curry shortly before his death about life, love, and laughter, called his passing a release from a difficult physical state but said having Curry in their lives was the real blessing.

Fellow Clue stars Christopher Lloyd and Lesley Ann Warren also paid their respects. Lloyd posted a photo from the film alongside a simple heart. Warren went further, calling Curry a brilliant and endlessly funny artist, and describing it as an unbelievable joy to have shared a set and a soundstage. with a true master of the craft.