Actress Catherine O’Hara, the star of Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, has died aged 71.
The Canadian-born star died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness”, according to a statement from her agency.
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at O’Hara’s home at 4.48am on Friday (11.48pm AEDT) and she was taken to hospital in a “serious” condition, according to Page Six.
Dispatch audio from paramedics revealed O’Hara was having difficulty breathing.
She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead hours later.
The cause of her death has not been revealed.
O’Hara had been starring in the hit sitcom The Studio, which was just about to launch its second season after scooping a number of Emmys last year on debut.
The two-time Emmy-winning actor, who was born in Toronto, was known for comedic roles in a career spanning five decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mum in Home Alone to the iconic Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek.
O’Hara’s career was launched at the Second City in Toronto in the 1970s, an improvisation and sketch comedy theatre group.
It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator – and her Schitt’s Creek co-star.
The two would be among the original cast of the sketch show SCTV, which would help launch the careers of other top Canadian comedians, like Martin Short and Andrea Martin.
It also gave O’Hara the first of her Emmy Awards in 1982, her second coming from Schitt’s Creek in 2020, a sitcom that won her a new legion of fans.
Her role as matriarch Moira Rose also earned her a Golden Globe and two Actor Awards (formerly known as SAG Awards).
O’Hara also frequently collaborated with director Christopher Guest, starring in many of his iconic mockumentaries, including Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration and Best in Show.
She also starred in Tim Burton’s 1988 hit Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, alongside Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.
O’Hara’s dramatic turn in HBO’s The Last of Us earned her an Emmy nomination, as did her recent role as a Hollywood producer in The Studio.
The actor is survived by her husband of 33 years, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.
A private celebration of life will be held by the family, according to her agency.
Tributes flow from A-listers
Dan Levy, who worked with her on Schitt’s Creek in which she played Monica said she was a “gift”
“What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years,” he said.
“Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.”
Macaulay Culkin the actor, who played O’Hara’s son in two Home Alone movies, said on Instagram: “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”.
Actress Meryl Streep who co-starred with O’Hara in Heartburn, said in a statement: “Catherine O’Hara brought love and light to our world, through whip smart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed…such a loss for her family and friends, and the audience she graced as friends.”
Batman star Michael Keaton, said: “We go back before the first Beetlejuice. She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her.”
Pedro Pascal who worked with O’Hara on the second season of The Last of Us, said on Instagram: “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. Always.”
Actor, director and producer Rita Wilson said: “Catherine O’Hara — a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did. You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal.”
Alec Baldwin who starred with her in Beetlejuice said: “Catherine O’Hara was one of the greatest comic talents in the movie business. She had a quality that was all her own and my sympathy goes out to Bo and their family.”
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