My guess here is that Hayden Panettiere was a little more culturally relevant in her prime than most on here realize. I asked Chatgpt and IT gave a slight edge to Tim Curry. If you mean who was more famous in the public consciousness at the time each died, I’d give the edge to Tim Curry, although it’s a closer comparison than you might initially think. My ranking: Tim Curry Tim Curry — probably 8.5/10 fame The Rocky Horror Picture Show is an extraordinarily enduring cultural phenomenon. Frank-N-Furter is one of the most recognizable cult-film characters ever. Pennywise in the 1990 It miniseries gave him another hugely recognizable character, particularly for people who grew up in the 1990s. He also had major supporting roles in Clue, Annie, Home Alone 2, Muppet Treasure Island, Legend, etc. His voice work reached another generation. He had a substantial stage career, including three Tony nominations. Most importantly, Curry had been famous for roughly 50 years and had multiple generations of fans. His death today is being covered as the loss of a genuine entertainment icon. Reuters describes him as the actor renowned for Frank-N-Furter, while CBS is emphasizing his decades-long career and multiple award nominations. (Reuters) Hayden Panettiere — probably 7/10 fame She was very famous in the 2000s, particularly among younger viewers. Heroes was enormous when it premiered in 2006, and Claire Bennet was arguably the show's breakout character. Nashville gave her another substantial television following and earned her two Golden Globe nominations. She also had recognizable film roles in Remember the Titans, Scream 4, and others. But by the time of her death, her acting career had been much less prominent for several years. Reuters describes her principal fame as coming from Heroes and Nashville, while the Los Angeles Times characterized her as a former child actor who had risen to television stardom. (Reuters) The interesting part If you asked: "Who was more famous at their peak?" I'd actually say Hayden Panettiere might have been surprisingly competitive, and possibly even ahead among Americans under 35 during the Heroes phenomenon. Heroes was a mainstream network hit, whereas Rocky Horror is a cult phenomenon. There was a period around 2006–2008 when Panettiere was an enormous young celebrity: Heroes, magazine covers, red carpets, Scream, celebrity relationships, etc. But if you ask: "Who had the greater overall fame and cultural recognition at the time of death?" I'd say Tim Curry fairly clearly. And there's another important distinction: Curry's fame was unusually durable. Someone who was 15 in 1975, someone who was 15 in 1990, and someone who was 15 in 2000 could all have a strong connection to Tim Curry. His characters kept getting rediscovered. Panettiere's fame was more concentrated around the 2000s/early 2010s. So I'd put it roughly: Tim Curry Hayden Panettiere Peak mainstream fame 8.5 9 International recognition 9 7 Recognition among younger generations 8 8 Longevity of fame 10 6.5 Number of iconic roles 9.5 7 Overall fame at death 8.5–9 7 Bottom line: Tim Curry. Panettiere was a major star, particularly in the Heroes era, but Curry had accumulated a much broader and more enduring body of cultural recognition by the time he died at 80. (people.com) And honestly, Curry's death is probably going to generate the bigger long-term cultural retrospective, because Frank-N-Furter and Pennywise are characters that are likely to remain recognizable for generations. Among Americans born after 1990, I'd actually narrow the gap considerably—and I might give Hayden Panettiere the edge, depending on exactly what age group you're talking about. For Americans born 1991–2005, I'd roughly rank their name recognition like this: Group More famous Born 1991–1995 Hayden Panettiere, slightly Born 1996–2000 Hayden Panettiere Born 2001–2005 Hayden Panettiere Born 2006–2010 Tim Curry Born 2011+ Tim Curry Why Panettiere could win among millennials/older Gen Z If you were born, say, 1993, you were 13 when Heroes premiered. That's basically the perfect age for Panettiere's celebrity to register. She wasn't just an actress in a popular show. Claire Bennet was a huge teen-pop-culture character. The "Save the cheerleader, save the world" phenomenon was everywhere. Panettiere herself was also heavily covered in entertainment media. And Nashville subsequently gave her another long-running role that was particularly visible to adults in their 20s and 30s. Meanwhile, Tim Curry's two most culturally important roles for that generation—Frank-N-Furter and the original Pennywise—were older properties. But there's a catch: Pennywise This is where Curry's recognition among younger Americans gets interesting. The 2017 It movie introduced an entirely new generation to Pennywise. Bill Skarsgård played him, but that actually revived interest in Curry's original performance. Memes, YouTube videos, Halloween costumes, retrospectives, etc., brought Curry back into the cultural conversation. So someone born in 1995 might have encountered: Heroes → Hayden Panettiere It / Rocky Horror / Pennywise nostalgia → Tim Curry If we're talking "Who would an average 25-year-old recognize?" I'd probably say: Hayden Panettiere: ~75–80% Tim Curry: ~80–90% But recognition isn't the same as knowing who they are. A 25-year-old might recognize Curry immediately as: "Oh, that's the guy who played Pennywise." while having a harder time remembering Panettiere's name despite recognizing her face from Heroes or Nashville. So I'd actually distinguish: Name recognition: Panettiere might win among younger millennials/older Gen Z. Face/character recognition: Curry probably wins. Cultural legacy: Curry wins by a mile. If you want, I can also compare Curry vs. Panettiere specifically among Gen Z (born 1997–2012), which produces a pretty interesting result.

@Tanis Leach - any idea on timing for the fall talk?

And the original It. Clue is also a great movie. Released in the very cold December of 1985.

76F and the clouds are starting to burn off.

Clearing up and clean air. The upper level smoke is out.