Tim Curry has died

(theguardian.com)

230 points | by mykowebhn 1 hour ago

45 comments

  • 120bits 12 minutes ago
    My first movie that introduced me to Tim Curry was Home Alone 2. It was maybe first few Hollywood Movies that I watched with parents(non-english speaking).

    Now I'm 42yrs old, and when my parents visit me, I watch Home Alone 2 with them. It has somewhat become a family tradition now.

    Thank you Tim for such a memorable moments. Great actor!

  • TallGuyShort 1 hour ago
    I often chuckle at the observation that Tim Curry and Michael Caine's respective roles in the Muppet films were so beloved because Michael Caine acted like all the muppets were real actors, and Tim Curry acted like he was a muppet. He would have an impressive range of serious / comedic roles anyway, but I admire the ability for an actor that successful to be able to put himself be in such a silly role that well too.
  • WalterBright 29 minutes ago
    > Curry had a stroke while receiving a massage

    This happened to an acquaintance of mine. He had a pain in his neck, and went to a chiropractor. The chiropractor massaged his neck, which released a blot clot that went into his brain and gave him a stroke. His life afterwards was severely degraded. He was only in his 40s.

    I'll never let a chiropractor touch me.

    • zemvpferreira 6 minutes ago
      Hear hear. An alarming amount of people around me have had serious health scares directly caused by manipulation. A friend of a friend was nearly left paraplegic after a sports "straightening" by a well-known local specialist.

      A close friend who had an extremely aggressive breast cancer at 35 (and is given to natural cures etc etc) took up acupuncture as a secondary treatment. All well and good until the third session, when the acupuncture people tried to get her to drop out of chemo and radiotherapy to fully commit to their treatments. Alternative medicine as a term should be considered fraud and its more radical practitioners thrown in jail immediately.

    • nixon_why69 7 minutes ago
      Chiropractors are cranks but a normal muscle massage is really unlikely to cause a stroke AFAIK. The risks from Chiros as I understand it involve the big "adjustments" where they go for big pops, particularly in the neck.
    • kstrauser 5 minutes ago
      > The chiropractor massaged his neck, which released a blot clot

      ...or possibly caused the issue: https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-paralyzed-chiropractor...

      Yeah. Chiropractors are not doctors, whatever their degree mill happens to say.

  • callumprentice 1 hour ago
    I was a fan since university when someone down the corridor would have The Rocky Horror Picture Show playing all the time...

    Imagine my delight at seeing him on a packed London Tube one morning on my way to work. He asked to get by and I said something like "Just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right?" waiting for him to burst into song with the whole carriage joining in..

    He just scowled and pushed past - still made my day though :)

    • wolfi1 56 minutes ago
      I and a fellow clerk at a polling station realized that it would be only 15 minutes to the opening and we were the only ones manning it. he began: " it's astounding, time is fleeting" I joined in "madness takes its toll" we continued to the chorus, some seconds before the opening the other people managed to be there and we had our fun, too
  • skullone 30 minutes ago
    I remember when a group of friends went to see Rocky Horror at Clinton Street theater here in Portland, not having any idea what we were getting ourselves into. What a memory. Rest in peace Tim Curry
  • cestith 51 minutes ago
    Annie, Clue, Command & Conquer, Criminal Minds, Legend, Muppets Treasure Island, Rocky Horror Picture Show

    He was an icon. It’s said you can tell a lot about a person by from where they recognize him.

    • a4isms 40 minutes ago
      Smaller role, but he was brilliant in "Oscar" with Marissa Tomei and some guy who was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 for the screenplay to "Rocky."

      Absolutely nobody else could make the word "elocution" sound so luxuriously redolent of desire.

    • ColinWright 11 minutes ago
      He was brilliant in "Oscar".

      (Sorry, just noticed the older sibling comment said the same thing)

  • petethomas 1 hour ago
    In 1979 Curry had a Billboard Hot 100 song in the U.S. called "I Do The Rock" https://archive.org/details/TimCurryIDoTheRock
    • wolfi1 49 minutes ago
      time and again they still play it on the radio in my country, it's still somewhat popular
  • shdon 1 hour ago
    Apart from RHPS, his role in Clue was a highlight for me. And him giving Gabriel Knight.
    • bena 25 minutes ago
      I'm the butler, I like to keep the kitchen tidy.
  • rglover 11 minutes ago
    RIP. Great actor. I went from knowing him first in Home Alone 2 as a kid and then later in RHPS (always gave me a chuckle to be like "wait...is that the guy from Home Alone?!").
  • erickhill 49 minutes ago
    I know most folks think of other films, but his performance in Ridley Scott's Legend as the grumble-cackling lust driven red-faced demon is a core memory for me. Grew up watching and admiring that film and especially Mr. Curry's portrayal of that character so many times. Because of him.
    • jonhohle 39 minutes ago
      Legend is amazing and his character is still one of the most impactful practical effects I’ve seen.

      I was always happy to hear his voice work in shows as well. Mighty Max and Super Samurai Syber Squad being among my favorite.

      He’s fantastic in Clue as well.

  • ClassAndBurn 1 hour ago
    He will always be the Pirate in Muppet Treasure Island to me. Thanks for everything you gave the world
  • lubujackson 1 hour ago
    "Clue" was my favorite Tim Curry performance. Such a great actor, will be missed.
    • BLKNSLVR 1 hour ago
      I just love Clue. Understated and the exact opposite in equal measure. Just a great comedic movie, all held together masterfully by Curry.

      I rewatch it every few years, still love it.

      "No meaning yes!?"

  • losvedir 27 minutes ago
    Everyone's got their Tim Curry role that defines him. For me it's from The Three Musketeers. Though Nigel Thornberry is a close second.

    You can probably identify the age of every commenter in this thread based on the particular role that sits with them.

  • julnepht 26 minutes ago
    He was also very good as Pennywise the clown in the TV version of IT in the nineties...
    • _doctor_love 6 minutes ago
      That performance scarred so many of us growing up. It was a rite of passage to watch that movie.
  • ectoloph 1 hour ago
    This is sad news, he was a very good actor.

    One of my favourite roles I've seen him in was as Trymon in the TV version of Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic.

    • a4isms 39 minutes ago
      As posted on Mastodon: “If I see Trump start walking around in Tim Curry’s hat or shoes, there will be trouble. Terrible, retributive trouble.”
    • PaulHoule 1 hour ago
      Great show!
  • rubiquity 1 hour ago
    RIP. I always think of him for his performance in Home Alone 2.
  • LetsGetTechnicl 32 minutes ago
    Losing Dolly Parton and Tim Curry back to back my heart can't take it
    • racl101 7 minutes ago
      Yeah, when you realize this decade and the next, pretty much everyone you grew up whose entertainment you consumed in the 60s-80s, who was an adult then, is coming up... it's a sobering thought.
      • bsimpson 1 minute ago
        Robin Williams broke my perception of a lot of things when he died. I was 27 then, and it's already been a dozen years.
    • saulpw 3 minutes ago
      Death comes in threes and they were both 80, could be a party soon
  • Sparkyte 40 minutes ago
    His voice has a huge impact on so many forms of media from video games, movies, tv shows and radio. I'll miss him. I've been missing him since he couldn't use his distinct voice for many years. Miss him more that he is no longer with us.
  • world2vec 8 minutes ago
    My wife and I adore "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

    RIP absolute legend.

  • rhdunn 1 hour ago
    Will they send him ... TO SPAAACE?!
  • billbrown 48 minutes ago
    For me, his best work was Muppet Treasure Island. I'm glad I watched this BTS video with him: I had no idea he had a stroke in 2012 and hasn't acted since.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzU8f4HaQw0

  • jojogeo 1 hour ago
    RIP.

    The 'Wilderness Girls' scene in Loaded Weapon 1 will forever be in my heart and laughter; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRN2spEualo

  • changoplatanero 50 minutes ago
    Tim Curry as the pirate king in Pirates of Penzance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWzqcele1tY
  • whstl 1 hour ago
    I will always be grateful for his performance as Gabriel Knight, my favorite game of all time. Not only he was one of the pioneers in the medium, but the performance itself is still one of the greatest of all time.
  • greenowl 1 hour ago
    Stop eating my sesame cake!
  • flippyhead 1 hour ago
    And don't forget Legend!
  • Grimeton 49 minutes ago
    RIP. Poor guy. Slipped on a cuppa tea and broke his neck while hitting the dining room table on his way down.
  • Teknoman117 13 minutes ago
    Sadly space has now been corrupted by capitalism
  • esafak 46 minutes ago
    I've read that Rocky Horror screenings were something of an event, but I have not experienced it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show_...
    • a4isms 34 minutes ago
      In the 1970s, a bunch of us would have marathon sessions playing this newfangled game called "Dungeons and Dragons." It was a box set then, AD&D was yet to come. We played in a games club on Yonge Street in Toronto, and just down the street as the kind of sleazy movie theatre that played "Swedish Naturist" movies and any other porn or porn-adjacent films they could get away with.

      On Saturdays, we would play until about 11:45, lock the club up, and go to the theatre, where they would show The Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight. It was semi-wild. A few people would be there in costume, and lots of people would shout out the most famous lines.

      I enjoyed it, and ended up making a minor contribution to the atmosphere: I started brining a water pistol along, and when there was rain in the movie, I'd fire it upwards, waving it randomly so other patrons would get a little sprinkle.

      People liked that kind of thing!

    • zer00eyz 32 minutes ago
      They were great.

      Some of the modern criticism of it is rather harsh. The complaints about predatory tropes, and lack of consent miss the whole point.

      It is an outlandish piece of fiction, mixed with satire. It's just ment to be ridiculous and fun.

      It's why people turned the whole midnight showing into an event. You either got what it was, and went to laugh and have a good time or you were just too stiff and didn't get it. The whole scene was great for suburban queer and gay kids who might not have had another outlet or gathering place.

      I was lucky to have experienced it in the 80's and 90's in a few states. The relative homogeny of the crowed across states and venues was shocking. It was always a great way to "find your people" when you went somewhere new.

  • gnuplustoejam 48 minutes ago
    I was horrified that after his stroke they kept rolling him out in a wheelchair to perform for fandom nerds.

    Guy should have been allowed to live the rest of his life in dignity quietly, tending to his garden, not tap dancing for 40+ year old adults still obsessed with "The Time Warp".

    • etc-hosts 7 minutes ago
      This year I saw him roll out on his wheelchair and he had the time of his life. Not sure how others felt.

      https://old.reddit.com/r/timcurry/comments/1tzyqt6/sf_clue_q...

    • bmurphy1976 44 minutes ago
      Maybe. I don't have enough context, but maybe that's what he wanted to do? Whatever you may think about it, I'm pretty convinced Ozzy wanted to go out with a big concert. Nobody had to push him to do it.
      • gnuplustoejam 33 minutes ago
        > but maybe that's what he wanted to do

        Even if he did... he was in bad shape and it must have been physically taxing.

        The thought of him feeling obligated to be on stage in front of a room of wide-eyed adult children is particularly sad. This is more a commentary on his fans than Tim himself.

    • ramesh31 43 minutes ago
      >"Guy should have been allowed to live the rest of his life in dignity quietly, tending to his garden, not tap dancing for 40+ year old adults still obsessed with "The Time Warp"."

      You dont become Tim Curry unless you live for the attention. I highly doubt it was against his will. Shatner is still out there doing the theater circuit right now at nearly 100. Those generations in general (Silents and GIs) just had the mindset of "I'll stop working when I'm dead". It was the later Boomers really that latched onto the concept of retirement.

  • WalterBright 27 minutes ago
    I apologize to women named Janet.
  • ekianjo 25 minutes ago
    One of his best roles was Darkness in Legend, but seems like everyone has Alzheimer and forgot this great movie from Ridley Scott.
    • scroot 6 minutes ago
      It's pretty much the best "devil" character in any movie I've ever seen. Perfectly executed
  • EA 38 minutes ago
    Discovered him in Earth 2. 'Ello, poppet.
  • tosh 1 hour ago
    underrated movie and Tim Curry role:

    Herkermer Homolka in Congo (1995)

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112715/

    RIP

  • sybercecurity 1 hour ago
    Tim Curry, Dolly Parton, who is number 3?
    • datakan 1 hour ago
      Hayden Panettiere was first I guess
      • sybercecurity 22 minutes ago
        Dang, forgot about her. That makes the rule of thumb. Well, until we notice another pattern that isn't there...
      • Insanity 1 hour ago
        Way too young sadly. :(
    • lproven 1 hour ago
      There is another 80YO player in Home Alone 2 who is not looking at all well...

      [Fingers crossed]

      • nsxwolf 1 hour ago
        In case anyone doesn't understand the reference, lproven is hoping that Donald Trump, current President of the United States, who has a bit part in Home Alone 2, dies next.
        • gwd 41 minutes ago
          I think "cameo" is the correct term. He didn't wait in line all day with 1000 others to be an extra; he was asked to be in the movie because of how easily recognizable he is, and he plays himself.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameo_appearance

          • larrywright 19 minutes ago
            As I understand it, he wasn’t asked to be in the movie but rather he made it a condition of filming in his hotel that he be given a cameo.
          • morder 9 minutes ago
            as far as i understand it he requires a cameo in any film/show that uses his properties (in this case the trump hotel). he wasn't asked. it was required. supposedly most of the scenes filmed by other productions just end up on the cutting room floor but that one was left in.
          • jmedefind 22 minutes ago
            They didn’t ask him.

            He added it as a requirement to film in the hotel since he owned it at the time.

        • DonHopkins 6 minutes ago
          He didn't say "dies next" -- releasing the Trump-Epstein files he promised then consequentially being thrown in jail for the rest of his hopefully long long life would be the ideal outcome. Fingers crossed!
  • garyhbutton 1 hour ago
    RIP, he made some great art and my favorite was Rock Horror Picture Show
  • BatFastard 1 hour ago
    Brilliant artist! I smile when I hear his name.
  • dboreham 29 minutes ago
    Had no anticip...ation of that.
  • fullshark 1 hour ago
    RIP His soul is escaping to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Sq1Nr58hM

    • toofy 1 hour ago
      omg that game!!!

      i forgot about it.

      RIP Tim Curry.

      i went to the symphony last year to see the movie Clue. the symphony played the music while the movie played on the big screen above. i’d never seen the movie, he was as amazing as everything else i’d seen him in.

    • bigstrat2003 1 hour ago
      Heaven!

      Honestly, even though that's the only thing I've seen Tim Curry in, it's so strong that he has a fond place in my heart just for that performance. Dude knew how ridiculous it was and was having fun, which is a delight. It's hilarious to me watching him try to keep from cracking up in that scene.

  • idontwantthis 47 minutes ago
    Nigel Thornberry is who I will always think of.
    • puddnutz 39 minutes ago
      That and Hexxus in FernGully were my first introductions to him. I knew his voice long before his name or face.
    • Isamu 25 minutes ago
      This. Awesome voice acting work.
  • ChosenEnd 1 hour ago
    Rest in peace
  • Mistletoe 1 hour ago
    Who is the third since they come in 3s? Can we lose one bad one for the two good? I’ve got someone in mind.
  • iwontberude 1 hour ago
    RIP Premier Cherdenko
  • indianwashlets 1 hour ago
    His tacky, over the top performance / role in Sorted ruined that otherwise nice movie.
    • nozzlegear 49 minutes ago
      Why use a throwaway to shit on the memory of someone? This is the epitome of tacky.