Funeral arrangements were pending Saturday for Catherine O’Hara, the beloved star of TV and movie comedies who died Friday at the age of 71.
The Canadian-born O’Hara died in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her agency, CAA. Paramedics were sent to her Brentwood home shortly before 5 a.m. Friday after O’Hara experienced difficulty breathing and she died a short time later at a hospital, according to Page Six.
The exact cause of death was unclear and further details were not available Saturday.
Born in Toronto on March 4, 1954, O’Hara rose to prominence as a cast member of the Canadian sketch comedy series “Second City Television,” where her sharp comic instincts and gift for character work helped define the show’s irreverent tone. She served as an understudy for Gilda Radner before Radner left to join “Saturday Night Live.”
She earned her first Emmy Award for her work on the series, which became a launching pad for a generation of comedians.
O’Hara went on to build an eclectic film and television career, appearing in movies such as “After Hours,” “Beetlejuice” and the first two “Home Alone” films, in which she played the frantic but devoted mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin. The role introduced her to a global audience and became one of the most enduring performances of the holiday classic.
In a 2019 interview with Vulture, O’Hara reflected on her experience making “Home Alone” and the film’s unexpected success.
“Well, I’ll tell you right away, it was not a big film when I signed on. It was just a good script with some good people — John Hughes, Chris Columbus,” O’Hara said. “Going in, I never had a sense of whether something’s going to be big or not, and I don’t think I’ve ever put too much thought into it because you can’t control that. It was not until I negotiated for the second movie was I aware that I was maybe part of a big project!”
O’Hara was also one of the key players in writer/actor/director Christopher Guest’s mockumentary troupe, with leading roles in “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration.”
Later in her career, O’Hara earned widespread acclaim for her portrayal of the eccentric and glamorous Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” a role that brought her renewed fame and multiple awards, including an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.
Most recently, she enjoyed a memorable supporting role on Seth Rogen’s Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series “The Studio,.”
Eugene Levy, O’Hara’s former “SCTV” colleague who played her love interest on “Schitt’s Creek” and in “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind,” shared his thoughts on Friday.
“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today,” he said. “I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years. From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”
Martin Short, the Canadian-born TV and movie star and O’Hara’s onetime castmate on “SCTV,” paid tribute to her from the stage in Austin, Texas on Friday night, where he was performing with Steve Martin in their two-man comedy show.
“Catherine O’Hara, I met when she was 18 years of age And all these years later, she had been the greatest, most brilliant, kindest, sweetest angel that any of us worked with,” he said.
Culkin posted a tribute on Instagram, accompanied by two photos — one from “Home Alone” and another taken years later when they reunited at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later,” Culkin wrote.
“Home Alone” director Chris Columbus reflected on O’Hara’s impact and legacy in a statement shared on social media.
“What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film,” Columbus said on Instagram. “The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth. I will miss her greatly.”
Reflecting on how she developed the character of Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” O’Hara told Vulture the elaborate wardrobe and styling were essential to finding the character’s voice.
“The exterior always helps make me feel like someone else,” O’Hara said. “For Moira, I get my hair done, I get my makeup, I get those clothes on. They make me stand differently and walk differently. I explain the voice as souvenirs from all my world travel. I’ve taken a bit of all the people I’ve met in the world and I’m sharing it with you.”
In one of her straight dramatic roles, O’Hara appeared in “The Last of Us,” guest-starring in the second season of the HBO drama, portraying a character named Gail, a therapist in the post-apocalyptic community.
Pedro Pascal, who worked with O’Hara on “The Last of Us,” paid tribute to her on Instagram, writing, “Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always.”
Rogen also shared a tribute, praising her influence.
“I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen,” Rogen wrote. “`Home Alone’ was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honor. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous … she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it.”
O’Hara also guest-starred on several top-rated television series, including “Six Feet Under” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Her performance in the 2010 television film “Temple Grandin” earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Satellite Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2012, she voiced three characters — Mrs. Frankenstein, Weird Girl and the Gym Teacher — in Tim Burton’s animated film “Frankenweenie,” showcasing her vocal range.
She also lent her voice to animated films such as “A Nightmare Before Christmas” in 1993 and “Chicken Little” in 2005.
She was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2007.
O’Hara supported a range of charities, including Upward Bound House, a Los Angeles nonprofit focused on ending homelessness. She won $250,000 for the charity during a 2020 appearance on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
O’Hara met her husband, production designer Bo Welch, on the set of “Beetlejuice,” where he worked in that capacity. They married in 1992.
She is survived by Welch and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.
Her last public appearance was in September 2025, when she attended the Emmy Awards. O’Hara was nominated for best supporting actress for “The Studio,” and the show won for best comedy series. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for the part, but did not attend the Jan. 11 ceremony.