Tim Curry suffered a major ischemic stroke in the summer of 2012, an event that changed the course of his career for the last 14 years of his life. Multiple blood clots in his brain prevented some areas from receiving oxygen while the buildup of blood put pressure on the rest of his brain.
The actor initially dismissed his own symptoms but eventually allowed his massage therapist to call an ambulance, and he was rushed into emergency brain surgery.
Recognising the signs of a stroke
Ischemic strokes can be deadly if left untreated. The NHS urges people to remember the acronym FAST, which details the symptoms to check:
- Face weakness – one side may droop or make it hard to smile
- Arm weakness – preventing a person from fully lifting both arms and keeping them in the air
- Speech problems – like slurred words or sounding confused
- Time – to call 999
Other symptoms of a stroke can include weakness or numbness down one side of the body, blurred vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes, difficulty speaking or thinking of words, confusion and memory loss, feeling dizzy or falling over, a severe headache, and feeling or being sick.
Long-term impact on Curry's career
Strokes need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage to parts of the brain. Despite years of rehabilitation, the Clue actor sustained long-term impairments that impacted his career.
After the invasive brain surgery, Curry had to learn how to talk again. He was left partially paralysed and turned to voice acting roles as a result, despite his cult following on stage and screen.
While promoting his memoir, Vagabond, last year, he revealed he had to rely on his long-term memory for most of the project, as the stroke had disrupted his short-term memories. In September last year, to mark the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Dr Frank-N-Furter actor revealed he still could not walk 13 years after the stroke and informed fans he would not be singing or dancing again anytime soon.
In one of his final interviews, the British actor appeared on USA Today in October, saying he was doing “pretty good” after the stroke but had recently been diagnosed with an aneurysm in his abdomen, and it was not clear if it would rupture.
