Tim Curry's Clue Costar Says He 'Struggled' During Final Appearances

Tim Curry, who died at 80 on Aug. 25, spent his final months attending anniversary screenings for the 1985 film Clue, the murder-mystery comedy that paired him with Lesley Ann Warren. Warren, who played Miss Scarlet opposite Curry's Wadsworth, saw him at events in May and June and has now described how visibly the actor was struggling.

"Honestly, my last couple of personal appearances with him, he was struggling so very much," Warren told People in an interview published Aug. 31. "And it was so difficult for him on so many levels, emotionally, psychologically, in terms of his great talent to not be able to do what he loved to do."

Warren said Curry, who had used a wheelchair since a 2012 stroke, was also not doing well physically. At a May 18 screening held to celebrate Clue's 40th anniversary, she recalled, he was "in his absolute glory" and "just the same Tim, separate from his physical challenges." But by their final encounter on June 6 in San Francisco, his condition had worsened.

"He was struggling more than he had been," Warren said. She noted that the San Francisco event was "a huge success," but the decline was evident.

After Curry's death, Warren posted a tribute on Instagram, writing, "The brilliant, hilarious, hysterically funny, magician of artistry has left us. What an unbelievable joy to have shared a sound stage with him and to engage with such a master talent." She added, "I adored him. Bless his wild and inspired soul. Love you Tim."

Curry's cause of death was revealed on Sept. 2 as coronary artery disease, according to documents from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health obtained by People. A history of stroke and kidney cancer were listed as contributing factors but not the underlying cause. Curry had suffered a major stroke in 2012 and later said he had to relearn how to speak.

The actor's final public appearances included a September screening for the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where he told the audience, "I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair. That's very limiting." In an October 2025 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, he said, "I don't fear death. I try to avoid it. I think we all do, but I suspect that in the end, I will welcome it. I think it may be very comforting to go bye-bye, and I want to earn it."