Tim Curry's Heartbreaking Regret About His Mother Resurfaces After His Death at 80: 'I Could Have Treated Her Better'
Tim Curry shared a regret about his mother less than a year before his death,
Aug. 26 2026, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
Tim Curry's turbulent relationship with his mother following his father's death when the future star was just 12 became the source of one of his greatest regrets later in life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show star died at his Los Angeles home on August 25 at the age of 80, one year after the release of his memoir, Vagabond. He had battled serious health issues for more than a decade after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012.
'I Could Have Treated My Mother Better'
Curry regretted the volatile relationship he had with his mother, Pat.
"I think I could have maybe treated my mother better," Curry confessed to the New York Times in an October 2025 interview to promote his memoir.
The star's "gentle" and beloved dad, James Curry, a Royal Navy chaplain, died from pneumonia after suffering a stroke in 1958, when he was just 45 years old.
That left Tim's mom, Maura Patricia 'Pat' Curry, to raise her son through his teenage years and beyond, but her explosive temper and their turbulent relationship would leave a lasting mark on the future star.
Curry later revealed that frightening memories of his mother's rages helped him tap into the darkness behind some of his most terrifying characters, including murderous clown Pennywise in the 1990 TV horror miniseries It. He also drew on those terrifying childhood experiences while playing Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers and even Dr. Frank-N-Furter's infamous ax-wielding scene in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Tim Curry Believed His Mom Was 'Bipolar' Due to Her Mood Swings
Curry claimed his mom could 'just explode' when describing her mood swings.
"I'm being a bit cautious about this, because I did, in the first draft, include a very brief passage where she came at me with a knife in the kitchen," Tim claimed to The Guardian while promoting his memoir,
Tim also explained his mother's frightening mood swings: "I think she was actually bipolar because she could just explode."
The Spamalot star revealed his widowed mom tried to steer him away from acting altogether. With money tight following his father's death, she desperately wanted her son to pursue a safer, more secure profession rather than gamble on the uncertainty of show business
Even after finding success in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pat told her son, "I thought your head was gonna grow too big." Pat died at the age of 80 in 1999.
Tim Curry Had One 'Legacy' From His Mom That He Was 'Thankful For'
Curry was happy he inherited his mother's distaste for self-pity.
Tim told CBS Sunday Morning in an October 2025 interview that he got one quality from his mother that he valued greatly after his stroke.
"I don't admire self-pity much," he shared at the time. "Another legacy from my mother. I guess it's one that I'm thankful for."
He asked, "Why are you so important that we have to pity you?" about how he had been confined to a wheelchair for the past 14 years.
Tim Curry Dead at 80
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The actor died at his home on August 25.
The British actor passed away peacefully at his home in North Hollywood, California, his rep confirmed on August 26.
He gave a health update in September 2025 while attending a star-studded celebration marking 50 years of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show at L.A.'s Academy Museum.
"I still can't walk, which is why I'm in this silly chair, and that's very limiting. So I won't be singing, and I won't be dancing very soon. I still have real problems with my left leg," Tim confessed.
