Los Angles, California - Actor Tim Curry has died at the age of 80 after a series of serious heath difficulties.

The English actor best known for his star turn as Dr Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show has died, celebrity website TMZ reported Wednesday.

Curry, who had struggled with his health for more than a decade after a debilitating stroke, died at his home in Los Angeles, TMZ said, citing unnamed sources.

The actor, who launched his career in London's West End theater district, first played the gender-bending mad scientist in Rocky Horror before reprising the role in the 1975 film, which is still a staple of midnight cinema showings more than 50 years later.

His other credits include the sinister clown Pennywise in a 1990 television mini-series version of Stephen King's It and films such as Annie, Clue, and Muppet Treasure Island.

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