Month: August 2026

By Todd Leopold, Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Tim Curry, the English actor who became a massively popular cult figure thanks to his performances in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Clue” and the TV miniseries “It,” has died. He was 80.

Curry “passed away peacefully at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles” on Tuesday, according to a statement shared by publicist Sean Katz on behalf of Curry’s longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz.

“Though widely known for his inimitable, flamboyant characters and colorful stage performances, his greatest legacies to those who knew him were his curious, expansive mind and generous, gentle heart, both of which remained open and filled with anticipation until his final breath,” the statement read.

Police responded to a death investigation for a male in his 80s at an address in Los Angeles at 11:20pm Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The Los Angeles Fire Department also confirmed that emergency personnel attended a medical event at the same address Tuesday night at 10:42pm for an adult male who was pronounced dead.

An immediate cause of death was unclear. In 2012, Curry suffered a major stroke and had been dealing with health problems in the years since.

A classic character actor, Curry often portrayed supercilious Brits, crafty villains (he played the devil more than once) and befuddled sidekicks.

He demanded attention as soon as he walked on screen as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in 1975’s “Rocky Horror,” boldly strolling past rows of acolytes and ripping off a robe to reveal a corset and stockings. His Lord of Darkness, from 1985’s fantasy film “Legend,” was equipped with giant horns and a tomato-red face, but it was Curry’s casual delivery, dripping with menace, that elevated the role to more than a caricature.

Curry had a working actor’s distance — and an Englishman’s understatement — toward the parts he played. Describing Pennywise, the demonic clown he played in 1990’s “It,” perhaps Stephen King’s most frightening creation, he told the magazine Fangoria, “Basically, he’s completely irredeemable; he’s the kind of chap that’s entirely without charm.”

As for Frank N. Furter, the “sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transsylvania,” Curry was equally detached, remembering the beloved role with “bemused tolerance.”

He told NPR’s “Fresh Air” in 2005 that the charismatic role was a challenge to overcome. Frank N. Furter “was so out there, so kind of outrageous, that I was a very quiet boy for a while, just to make sure that people got it — that that wasn’t necessarily who I was,” he said.

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946, in Grappenhall, England, about 30 miles inland from Liverpool. His father was a chaplain in the Royal Navy, and Curry grew up in cities around the world before his family settled in Plymouth, on England’s south coast, after his father suffered a stroke. When he was 12, his father died, an event that left him shaken.

It was a “huge turning point in my life,” he told “The View” in 1997. “You’re suddenly two years older than all the other kids.”

His family moved to London, and Curry decided to become an actor, receiving a college degree in theater in 1968. His first professional role was in a production of “Hair.”

After a variety of other roles — he remembers playing several of them, not all successfully, in a 60-seat theater while scraping by — he was cast by writer Richard O’Brien in “Rocky Horror Show” in 1973. As befitting the parody of ‘50s horror and science-fiction movies, Curry originally was going to play Frank N. Furter as a mad scientist with a German accent.

He changed his mind one day when riding the bus and hearing a woman with an upper-class accent. He ended up basing the waggish voice of Frank N. Furter on his mother — and Queen Elizabeth. The costumes, too, evolved, with the corset coming from a Jean Genet piece he’d appeared in previously.

The production became a huge hit in its London and Los Angeles incarnations, though it flopped on Broadway. By then, however, the movie version had been released.

“Rocky Horror’s” sleeper success changed Curry’s life. He remembered relaxing by a pool in Hollywood and wondering how to cope with fame.

“I was hesitant that, if it worked, it might be a difficult image to shake off,” he said in 1975.

But, for a time, the success was limited. Los Angeles loved the movie, but the rest of the country didn’t, and it threatened to sink without a trace until it was revived as a midnight movie at New York’s Waverly Theater. The nation was soon full of sold-out movie theaters running “Rocky Horror” at midnight, filled by theatergoers in full costume who yelled responses to the dialogue and threw toast at the screen. Weekly screenings continue to take place in many cities throughout the world.

In the four decades since, it’s never gone away. The musical is currently running on Broadway.

Luke Evans, the Welsh actor nominated for a Tony Award this year for his portrayal of Frank-N-Furter in the current Broadway production of “Rocky Horror,” shared a letter on Instagram that he wrote to Curry several weeks ago, prior to leaving the production. In it, he thanked Curry for his “fearless performance” in the original production, which he said had inspired generations of actors.

“There will only be one Tim Curry,” Evans wrote. “All the rest of us will just have to do our best to emulate some of the magic of that role that I’ve just spent 7 months playing.”

Even Princess Diana was a fan of the original and asked to meet Curry on one occasion. Curry asked whether she’d seen the film.

“Oh, yes. It quite completed my education,” she told him.

Curry, however, was done with Frank. Aside from an interview with a college TV station in 1975, he barely discussed the film for more than two decades.

Asked at the time whether he’d be interested in a sequel, he demurred. “Not with me in it,” he said. (There was sort of a sequel, “Shock Treatment,” in 1981, and true to his word, Curry did not take part.)

In the ensuing decades, Curry was a formidable performer, both on stage and on screen. After “Rocky’s” Broadway debacle, he went right back on stage, starring in Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties” both in London and New York. He released some pop albums, having a minor hit with “I Do the Rock” in 1979.

And he took significant screen roles in some popular works, including as Wadsworth the butler in 1985’s “Clue,” which became another cult classic; “Legend,” Ridley Scott’s dark fantasy starring Tom Cruise; “It,” considered one of the best Stephen King adaptations; and a story arc of the influential, if low-rated, series “Wiseguy.”

His ability to play villains earned him a number of fans, including Meredith Vieira, who interviewed him on “The View” in 1997.

“If you were the devil, I would pay to go to hell,” she told him.

Curry also engaged in voice work. His performance reading Lemony Snicket’s novels “A Series of Unfortunate Events” earned him a Grammy nomination, and he supplied the voice of Darth Sidious in the TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

But the stage continued to beckon, including parts in “My Favorite Year” and “A Christmas Carol.” In 2005, Curry took on the plum role of King Arthur in “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” based on “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” The musical was a mammoth success, earning 14 Tony nominations and winning best musical. Curry and costar Hank Azaria were nominated for best actor in a musical, but lost.

Perhaps, if Curry had played a villain in the musical, he would have had a better chance. He embraced the typecasting of British actors — “Eric Idle and I have this greeting. We shake hands and say, ‘butlers and villains,’” he told Vieira — and reveled in the roles.

“The fact is that the bad guys are always much better-written than the good guys, and they’re kind of irresistible to play, because they’re so much more fun,” he said in the “View” interview.

Carol Burnett, Curry’s costar in the 1982 film adaptation of “Annie,” described him in an Instagram tribute as a dear friend whom she was blessed to know. “Nobody could play lovable villains better than he could,” Burnett wrote.

Curry had been in poor health in recent years. The actor dropped out of a production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” in 2011 because of illness. In 2012, he suffered a major stroke. He accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Actors Fund in 2015, showing up to the ceremony in a wheelchair, his once-chipper voice diffused by a more halting cadence.

Nevertheless, he still had his sense of humor, which was on full display when he made a surprise appearance at a 50th anniversary screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” last year at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, where love from an adoring, multigenerational audience came in the form of several standing ovations.

Curry told the crowd: “I’d like to tell you that I haven’t been legless before tonight, but it wouldn’t be true. I’m, unfortunately, currently sitting in a wheelchair, so get over it!”

He also teased his “Rocky Horror” costar Barry Bostwick, who introduced him just ahead of the screening, saying, “When Barry was being introduced, he was introduced as ‘OG,’ and I’m assuming that means ‘old geezer.’”

Ahead of the screening, Bostwick reminisced about arriving on the set of the 1975 movie, and being immediately disarmed by Curry’s warmth.

“When we got off the plane, you hugged us and you said, ‘Welcome, welcome, welcome to your world’ – and we’ve been there for 50 years,” Bostwick said. “Thank you, Tim. We love you.”

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s David Mack, Zoe Sottile and Dan Heching contributed to this report.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)—Drivers traveling through the intersection of Iona Road and U.S. Highway 26 will see significant changes beginning next week.

According to the Idaho Transportation Department, the intersection will be restricted to right-in and right-out turns only starting Monday, Aug. 31. Left turns and crossing the highway will no longer be permitted.

Under the new traffic pattern, motorists traveling north or south on Yellowstone Highway will still be able to turn right onto Iona Road. Drivers approaching the intersection from Iona Road will also be able to make right turns onto Yellowstone Highway.

ITD said the change had originally been planned as part of a larger construction project scheduled for next summer at Yellowstone Highway and Hitt Road. However, transportation officials decided to move the restrictions forward following several serious crashes and discussions between Bonneville County and ITD that identified the Iona Road intersection as a priority for safety improvements.

According to ITD, advance warning signs will be installed this week ahead of the transition. Crews will place concrete barriers, traffic-control barrels and permanent delineators in the center of Yellowstone Highway for approximately 800 feet.

Transportation officials are asking drivers to obey the new traffic pattern and noted that attempts to drive between or around the traffic-control devices will not be possible.

Drivers who need to make a left turn or cross Yellowstone Highway should use signalized intersections at Woodruff Avenue or Hitt Road, according to ITD.

The turn restrictions are part of broader improvements planned for the area. ITD said construction at Yellowstone Highway and Hitt Road is expected to begin next summer. The project includes widening Hitt Road to five lanes, replacing the existing roundabout at Hitt and Iona roads with a traffic signal, and installing a permanent median barrier on Yellowstone Highway at the Iona Road intersection.

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (KIFI) — The U.S. Forest Service is developing a plan to reduce wildfire risk across roughly 25,000 acres of National Forest land near Island Park — but the proposal is still in its early stages.

Before any work begins, the Forest Service will conduct an environmental review and public-involvement process designed to identify potential impacts, concerns, and alternatives.

“Fuels” are vegetation and other forest material that can feed a wildfire.

That can include dead trees, fallen branches, thick brush, smaller trees and dense vegetation. When those materials accumulate, they can provide a continuous path for fire to spread and potentially allow flames to move from the forest floor into the tree canopy.

The Forest Service’s Island Park proposal is designed to reduce that fuel and change how a future wildfire could behave.

The project framework focuses on about 25,000 acres along the U.S. Highway 20 corridor in the Ashton/Island Park Ranger District. Areas near communities such as Mack’s Inn and Stonegate, powerlines and substations, and important evacuation routes are among the priorities identified by the Forest Service.

Potential treatments could include thinning dense stands of trees, removing hazardous vegetation, creating fuel breaks and other vegetation-management techniques.

The goal is not to simply remove as many trees as possible.

Instead, the Forest Service says treatments would be strategically placed to reduce potential wildfire intensity, protect critical infrastructure and give firefighters safer opportunities to respond to a fire.

The Forest Service has identified Island Park as a High-Risk Fireshed under the agency’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy.

A fireshed is a large landscape where a wildfire could significantly affect communities and important resources.

The Forest Service says dense vegetation and high fuel loads in the Island Park area could contribute to high or extreme fire behavior under the right weather and fuel conditions.

Officials are particularly focused on protecting homes, communities, power infrastructure and evacuation routes.

The 25,000-acre proposal is not yet a construction project, and residents should not expect crews to begin cutting trees immediately.

The Forest Service is currently developing the proposal and identifying potential concerns that will need to be addressed through the environmental review process. The agency plans to use an Emergency Action Determination authority as it moves through that process, which is intended to provide an expedited path while still including environmental analysis and public involvement.

The next step will be giving the public and stakeholders a closer look at the draft proposal.

The Forest Service plans to present its draft proposal to the Targhee Forest Collaborative on September 2 at the Island Park EMS Building.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m., followed by an afternoon field trip to areas being considered for treatment.

The collaborative includes people and organizations with different interests in management of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

That meeting is part of the early collaborative process. The Forest Service says a formal public comment period will come later, after the proposal has been developed further and potential concerns have been identified.

Public input can help the agency identify issues it may not otherwise see — including concerns involving environmental resources, access, wildlife, recreation, private property and how proposed treatments could affect individual communities.

The Forest Service’s own project framework describes public input as an important part of refining the broad proposal into a final proposed action.

The Forest Service estimates full implementation could be two to three years away.

For now, the Forest Service is encouraging residents to learn about the proposal and participate as the project develops. Click here to learn more at the U.S. Forest Service’s website.

SALT LAKE CITY (KIFI)—An 11-year-old Meridian girl who was critically injured in a crash on the Teton Pass remains hospitalized in Salt Lake City.

Neeka Korn was riding in an RV on Aug. 17 along Wyoming Highway 22 when it crashed with a car near Wilson around 9 p.m.

Neeka was flown to an Idaho Falls hospital and later flown again to a Salt Lake hospital, her family said.

Her family shared an update with Local News 8 on Wednesday, saying Neeka has undergone major surgery for multiple injuries. According to the family, those injuries include a broken leg, injuries to her spleen, other internal injuries and several additional broken bones.

Her mother, Michelle, has remained at the hospital in Salt Lake City while Neeka receives intensive treatment for her injuries and subsequent complications. Family members said Neeka’s recovery process has included both progress and sudden setbacks, requiring the family to take her treatment one day at a time.

To assist with the financial burden, relatives created a GoFundMe for the family. The funds are intended to cover the costs of the two emergency airlifts, surgeries, extended hospitalization, ongoing rehabilitation, travel and lodging between Idaho and Utah and lost income during her recovery.

WILSON, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Transportation Department has teamed up with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Make Teton Pass Safer to put up signs and give warning to travelers going on the pass.

“The group is interested in advanced signage right now,” Sky Buffat, the Public Informations Officer for the Idaho Transportation Department, said. “That’s their main push. We realize that Idaho is a place where advanced warning, as far as what to expect on the pass would be needed, so we’re happy to be a willing and helpful partner.”

The signs will have general warnings, offer alternate routes, and give advice to keep you safe on the mountain. It is not just Semi Trucks who need to shift into a lower gear but all vehicles should when going down the steep terrain.

“One thing that the discussion seems to have kind of centered on is right now the signs read ‘trucks use lower gear,'” Buffat explained. “And the biggest push immediately is to see signs read all vehicles use lower gear. Even if you drive an automatic, there is a way to lower your gear so your brakes aren’t in danger as you’re crossing the mountain.”

Your car may be capable of shifting to a lower gear. It can appear as S, L, or B on your car’s shift. It could even be a button on newer vehicles. But this has the capability to save your car’s brakes as well as keep you safe when going down those steep slopes.

“Just knowing to use a lower gear and a lower speed when you’re on a mountain pass like that of any kind, really will can save a lot of problematic instances from happening,” Buffat said.

You can find information on your vehicle’s lower gear shift in your owner’s manual or just by looking at your shift and finding the letter that doesn’t match the rest.

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) volunteers responded to back-to-back backcountry emergencies earlier this week, highlighting the importance of preparation and safety when venturing into the backcountry.

The first call arrived just before 12:30 p.m. on Monday, August 24, after a 70-year-old backpacker tripped and fell while descending the Green Mountain Trail on the west side of the Tetons. The woman was left injured and stranded about two miles from the North Leigh Canyon trailhead.

Nine TCSAR volunteers hiked in from both ends of the trail, using a wheeled stretcher to carry her out to an awaiting Teton County, Idaho Fire & Rescue ambulance. She was then turned over to medics for further care.

A second call came in late Monday evening from an outfitter in the remote Hawk’s Rest area. Two brothers in their early 30s had wandered into the guide camp severely dehydrated and exhausted following a bear encounter, which left one man with torn pants and bear spray residue on his arm.

Determining that the brothers weren’t in immediate Danger, TCSAR volunteers responded with a helicopter team at first light on Tuesday.

As the crew landed at the site, rescuers learned one brother had separated from the group and departed earlier that morning. Fortunately, as team members began coordinating a larger ground search, the missing hiker returned to the camp. Both men were flown back to TCSAR headquarters in Jackson.

“Our team is here to help, and the volunteers appreciated the opportunity to bring these backpackers out of the wilderness,” TCSAR shared in a statement on social media, emphasizing safety reminders for all backcountry visitors: