Stroke signs and symptoms as 2012 event changed Tim Curry’s career

Tim Curry faced a potentially deadly medical emergency in 2012

Celebrated English actor Tim Curry has died at the age of 80 and while the cause of death has not yet been confirmed, the star had been struggling with his health for years following a medical emergency in 2012 that he didn’t believe was happening at first after dismissing the early warning signs.

In July 2012, the IT actor was getting a massage and felt a little out of sorts but didn’t believe anything was terribly wrong. However, his massage therapist recognised the early signs and called for medical help despite reluctance from the Hollywood star.

A stroke is when blood stops flowing to parts of the brain, it is a life-threatening medical emergency that needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible. However, the symptoms can differ depending on what part of the brain is affected and why the blood has stopped flowing.

Common early signs include:

• Face weakness where one side may droop or make it hard to smile
• Arm weakness, preventing a person from fully lifting both arms and keeping them in the air
• Speech problems like slurred words or sounding confused

The NHS urges people to remember the acronym FAST, which stands for:

• Face
• Arm
• Speech
• Time to call 999

In Curry’s case, he had an ischemic stroke caused by blood clots and his brain was so inflamed doctors had to remove bone from his skull. He had to undergo emergency brain surgery and the stroke temporarily took away his ability to speak as well as completely changing the trajectory of his career.

In the years following the stroke, Curry stayed out of the spotlight while undergoing rehabilitation. The next time his fans would lay eyes on him was June 2015 when he appeared at the Actors Fund’s Tony Awards Viewing Party where he received an artistic achievement award.

He attended the event in a wheelchair as he was still dealing with the aftermath of the stroke and would have mobility issues as a result of it for the rest of his life.

While Curry had a cult fanbase for his work on stage and screen, the impairments left by the stroke saw the actor turning towards voice work instead so he could still do the job he loved despite his newfound limitations.

Last year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Dr Frank-N-Furter actor revealed he wouldn’t be singing or dancing again anytime soon because he still couldn’t walk 13 years after the stroke.