Losing both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry in the space of 24 hours feels like some sort of dystopian glitch on the universe's behalf. The death of the beloved British actor was announced on Wednesday, with reports stating that the 80-year-old passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
The actor burst onto the stage in 1958 alongside the original London cast of counterculture musical, Hair. During production, he met Richard O’Brien, who, in 1972, began working on the basis for his fantastical freakish pièce de résistance, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
A year later, the musical debuted on stage, starring Curry as protagonist Dr. Frank-N-Furter - a self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from transexual Transylvania.” The Mancunian performer reprised his role in 1975 for the film remake of the show, delivering an unforgettable portrayal of the mad scientist that cemented his status in alternative cinema.
© Courtesy of the Rocky Horror Picture ShowPainted in campy glam-rock makeup and cinched into a sequinned, corseted bodice with risqué lace-up detailing, black fishnet stockings, opera gloves and killer heels, Curry embraced his character’s unapologetic theatricality - a stilettoed commentary on sexuality, gender fluidity and self-expression.
The show, which outwardly championed individuality and androgyny, became a cult classic - particularly among the LGBTQ+ community who resonated with its overarching message of acceptance. To this day, midnight screenings of the film are hosted on Halloween across the globe, inviting audiences to dress up as characters from the story and part-take in ritualistic traditions such as rice-throwing, firing water pistols and hurling rolls of toilet paper in their air.
© Getty Images“It’s a guaranteed weekend party to which you can go with or without a date and probably find one if you don't have one,” the late actor said of the film that became a standout in his filmography. “It's also a chance for people to try on a few roles for size, you know? Figure out, help them maybe figure out their own sexuality.”
Frank-N-Furter’s strut into existence - openly gender-nonconforming, sexually liberated and flamboyantly dressed - was an anomaly in 1970s mainstream cinema. Even today in 2026, a year after The Rocky Horror celebrated its 50-year anniversary, the show remains sacred property among those on the fringes of society - theatre troupes, wallflowers and minorities.
Characters including Rocky (typically dressed in nothing but gold hot pants and matching boxing boots), Janet Weiss and Brad Majors projected the film’s progressive philosophy further, eschewing their conservative American roots and engaging in polyamory, non-monogamy and kink much to the audience’s glee.
Yet, far from depicting said characters’ story arc as a chaotic descent into moral disrepair, the film positions their journeys as wholly celebratory. For example, Susan Sarandon’s painfully square heroine discovers an uninhibited side of herself while engaging in an affair with Frank-N-Furter. Her prim 1950s-style dresses are quickly replaced by vampy lingerie reminiscent of her new lover’s, symbolising a newfound sensuality and self-confidence.
Similarly, Brad’s initial wardrobe of preppy high school Harringtons, cashmere V-necks, thick-rimmed glasses and ‘tighty whities' are usurped also by burlesque corsetry, heels, garter belts and heavy contour. Through costume, his straight-laced persona and apparent heterosexuality is deconstructed and questioned. What conservative viewers may see as a loss of identity, others see as the discovery of one.
Consider Frank-N-Furter’s shameless lyrics: “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure/Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh/ Erotic nightmares beyond any measure/ And sensual daydreams to treasure forever/Can't you just see it?” Rather ahead of his time for an early 70s creation, don’t you think?
© Courtesy of The Rocky Horror Picture ShowToday, we see this spirit of rebellion reflected in the collections of designers who have rewritten – and continue to rewrite – the rules of style. Vivienne Westwood's subversion of punk. Lee McQueen's cheeky bumster trousers. Tom Ford's Gucci G-String. Harris Reed's gloriously fluid silhouettes. Wiederhoeft's bridal rejections of gender binary. Jeremy Scott's explorations of BDSM culture in the queer community. Richard Quinn's fetish-inspired eveningwear. Just remember: when TikTok tells you something is 'chic', fashion’s leading voices – the actual cool kids – are often the ones saying to hell with it.
The ethos of The Rocky Horror is perhaps best captured by its most famous mantra: “Don’t dream it, be it.” In a chronically online world where algorithms dictate what to wear and how to look, while startling instances of hate continue to simmer below the surface, the show’s doctrine - that of being unabashedly yourself - couldn’t be more timely or important.
And for that, we have Mr Tim Curry to thank. Though he may be ‘going home’, his legacy lives on in the feather boa-clad, kohl-eyed brilliance of his beloved Dr Frank-N-Furter - a character who taught generations that the weirdos are often the ones worth remembering.
