Tim Curry dies at 80 as his restored Los Feliz home finds a buyer
Tim Curry, the British actor who immortalized Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and terrified generations as Pennywise, died at 80 in his Los Angeles home, 14 years after suffering a major stroke that never fully sidelined his public life. Hours after his death was announced, the historic Los Feliz home Tim Curry lovingly restored after buying it in 1993 went under contingent offer at $7.5 million.
Curry's passing closes a career that spanned cult classics, Broadway triumphs, and one of Hollywood's most storied real-estate restorations. For ongoing coverage, visit our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
Key Takeaways
- Tim Curry died at 80 in Los Angeles, 14 years after a major stroke.
- He bought his Los Feliz home for $650,000 in 1993 and showcased the renovation in Architectural Digest.
- The four-bedroom Seyler House later belonged to Robert Pattinson, Jim Parsons, and Aaron Paul.
- Listed at $7.5 million on Aug. 6, the property went contingent hours after Curry's death.
- Curry was born in Cheshire, England, on April 19, 1946, and broke out in Hair's 1968 London cast.
Who Was Tim Curry and Why Did He Matter?
Tim Curry was born in Cheshire, England, on April 19, 1946. His big break came in 1968 with the original London cast of Hair, where he met the writer who would create Dr. Frank-N-Furter—a role Curry played on stage and in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Beyond Rocky Horror, Curry became a household name across generations. He played con man Rooster Hannigan in Annie and the evil clown Pennywise in the 1990 It miniseries. Off screen, he was an avid horticulturalist who tended gardens at his own homes and at friends' residences, including Freddie Mercury's.
The New York Times reported his death, noting the breadth of a career that made him one of Britain's most recognizable exports to American entertainment.
What Happened to Tim Curry's Los Feliz Home After His Death?
Curry purchased the sprawling Los Feliz property for $650,000 in 1993 and spent years restoring it before selling for $2.6 million in 2001. The four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom Seyler House was most recently listed for just under $10 million in July 2025.
After several price cuts, the ask dropped to $7.5 million on Aug. 6, 2026. When news of Curry's death reached the public, the home—listed with Ben Belack of Serhant—was still on the market. Records were soon updated to show it had gone under contingent offer, meaning a seller accepted a bid pending closing conditions.
Realtor.com reported the historic residence found a buyer just hours after the Rocky Horror star's passing was announced.
How Did Tim Curry Transform the Historic Seyler House?
Designed by architect Stiles O. Clements and built in 1922, the Spanish Colonial Revival residence first appeared in Architectural Digest in 1924. Curry returned it to the magazine's pages in 1998, documenting exposed wood-beam ceilings, hand-painted surfaces, stained-glass windows, and vintage tile.
Actor Annie Potts brought Curry to view the property roughly a decade after he moved to Los Angeles from the U.K. He made an offer immediately—then panicked when he learned a previous bidder withdrew after a psychic claimed the house was haunted.
Drawing on a visit to a Guinness family estate in Ireland, Curry transformed the 4,000-square-foot dwelling into a warm, eclectic home with color-drenched rooms, a secret passageway to a speakeasy, and lush 1.45-acre grounds. Architectural Digest republished its 1998 tour on the day of his death.
Why Did Curry's Los Feliz Home Become a Hollywood Landmark?
After Curry sold in 2001, the Seyler House passed through Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Noah Wyle, Robert Pattinson, Jim Parsons, and Aaron Paul, who worked with Commune Design on a 2019 renovation.
Curry moved on to other Los Angeles renovation projects, including a home he sold to Christina Ricci in 2005. Yet the Los Feliz estate remained the property most closely tied to his eye for design—a Mediterranean aesthetic without clichéd wrought iron, as he once put it.
Its contingent sale hours after his death underscores how Curry's legacy now spans both the screen and the streets of Los Feliz he helped shape.