Tim Curry’s Life-Changing Stroke

Tim Curry, the legendary actor and singer, suffered a life-altering stroke in 2012 that left him partially paralyzed. He kept the stroke private for nearly a year, and during the emergency surgery that followed, it wasn’t certain he would survive.
In his new memoir, Vagabond, Curry shares raw details about the terrifying ordeal. He recalled that the stroke happened while he was receiving a massage. Feeling “a little out of sorts,” Curry’s massage therapist insisted on calling 911 — a decision Curry now credits with saving his life.
Once at the hospital, Curry underwent a dramatic emergency craniectomy. His brain was so swollen that surgeons had to remove a portion of his skull and temporarily implant it into his abdomen to keep him alive. Curry described the experience plainly: “My skull had been smashed in to save my life.”