Remembering Catherine O’Hara: A Beloved Icon of Comedy and Film

The Loss of a Legendary Performer

The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Catherine O’Hara, the beloved Emmy Award-winning actress who passed away at the age of 71. Her manager confirmed the devastating news on Friday, leaving fans and colleagues heartbroken over the departure of a woman who brought so much laughter, warmth, and unforgettable characters to screens both big and small. According to reports from the Los Angeles Fire Department, emergency services received a medical aid call in the early morning hours of Friday at approximately 4:48 a.m. from an address associated with O’Hara. She was transported to a hospital in serious condition, though the specific cause of her death has not yet been disclosed. The suddenness of her passing has left millions of admirers struggling to process the loss of an actress who seemed to have so much more to give, having just reflected optimistically about her future in recent interviews.

A Career Spanning Generations and Genres

Catherine O’Hara’s remarkable career encompassed more than 100 roles across television and film, showcasing an incredible range that few performers could match. Most recently, she captured hearts and earned widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Moira Rose in the hit comedy series “Schitt’s Creek.” Her character—a grandiose, eccentric actress blissfully detached from reality—became iconic for her outrageous wigs, dramatic pronunciations, and unexpectedly touching moments of vulnerability. This performance earned O’Hara a well-deserved Primetime Emmy Award in 2020 and a Golden Globe in 2021, introducing her talents to a new generation of fans while reminding longtime admirers why they’d fallen in love with her work decades earlier. The show, which also starred Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy, became a cultural phenomenon, and O’Hara’s Moira Rose stands as one of television’s most memorable comic creations—a testament to her fearless commitment to character and impeccable comedic timing.

But O’Hara’s legacy extends far beyond “Schitt’s Creek.” She first captured widespread attention in 1988 when she starred as Delia Deetz, the overdramatic artist and perfectionist stepmother in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice,” alongside Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. Her portrayal of the pretentious sculptress trying to transform a quaint New England home into a modern art statement provided some of the film’s funniest moments. Then, in 1990, she showed another dimension of her talent as Kate McCallister, the frantic mother in “Home Alone” who accidentally leaves her son behind during Christmas vacation. Her performance warmed audiences’ hearts with a touching portrait of motherhood, maternal guilt, and a parent’s desperate determination to reunite with her child. These two roles alone—the absurdly pretentious artist and the relatable, loving mother—demonstrated O’Hara’s extraordinary versatility and her ability to find humanity and humor in vastly different characters.

From Toronto to International Stardom

Catherine Anne O’Hara was born on March 4, 1954, in Toronto, Ontario, as the sixth of seven children and the older sister of Canadian singer Mary Margaret O’Hara. Her journey to stardom began in 1974 when she landed a role on the Canadian television sketch comedy show “Second City Television” (SCTV). According to the show’s official website, O’Hara had actually auditioned for “SCTV” two years earlier and eventually replaced the legendary Gilda Radner when Radner departed in 1974. This opportunity proved to be her launching pad, allowing her to showcase her remarkable range by impersonating cultural icons like Meryl Streep, Brooke Shields, and Lucille Ball, while also creating memorable original characters such as Lola Heatherton and Dusty Towne. O’Hara didn’t just perform on “SCTV”—she also contributed as a writer, earning her first Primetime Emmy for outstanding writing in a variety or music program in 1982.

Her time on “SCTV” proved formative in another crucial way: it connected her with collaborators who would become lifelong friends and creative partners. She worked alongside legendary comedic actors John Candy and Joe Flaherty, and it marked the first time she collaborated with Eugene Levy, who would become her most frequent acting partner over the following decades. Following “SCTV,” O’Hara’s career flourished with roles in the 1986 film “Heartburn,” starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, and reunions with Levy and Flaherty in projects like the 1989 television movie “I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood.” She also became a sought-after voice actress, lending her distinctive voice to several beloved animated projects including the iconic character Sally in Tim Burton’s 1993 film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Alien mom Tina in Disney’s “Chicken Little” in 2005, Mrs. Walters in “Monster House” in 2006, and Mrs. Frankenstein in 2012’s “Frankenweenie,” reuniting her with Winona Ryder and Martin Short.

A Master of Comedy and Character

Throughout her career, O’Hara demonstrated an uncanny ability to elevate every project she touched. Her work in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films—including “Best in Show” (2000), “A Mighty Wind,” and “For Your Consideration”—showcased her improvisational skills and her gift for creating fully realized, absurdly funny yet somehow believable characters. In “Best in Show,” she starred once again with Eugene Levy as a couple showing their dog at a competition, creating a relationship dynamic that was simultaneously ridiculous and oddly touching. She also made memorable guest appearances on acclaimed series like “30 Rock” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” proving she could slip seamlessly into established comedic universes and make an immediate impact.

In the final years of her career, O’Hara continued to challenge herself with diverse roles. She appeared as Gail Lynden in the HBO series “The Last of Us” in 2025 and as Patty Leigh in “The Studio,” performances that each earned her Primetime Emmy nominations for outstanding guest actress in a drama series and outstanding supporting actress, respectively. In 2024, she delighted fans by reprising her role as Delia in “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” alongside Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega, returning to the character that had helped launch her to fame more than three decades earlier. She was scheduled to return for the second season of “The Studio,” a project that will now serve as part of her final creative legacy.

Looking Forward: Her Philosophy on Aging and Work

In 2024, O’Hara shared thoughtful reflections on aging and her career in an interview with Elle Canada, offering insight into how she approached this chapter of her life. “When [you turn] 70—this is advice [I read] for anybody turning any older age—imagine that you’re going to live a minimum of another 20 years,” she explained. “What are you going to do with those years? If you look at it that way, you look at it as a challenge. Like, instead of ‘Oh no, I’m going to downsize’ or ‘I’m going to slow down,’ imagine that you are going to live to 90. What are you going to do?” After considering this question deeply, her answer was simple yet profound: “You look forward.” She added with characteristic gratitude and humility, “I’m lucky [I get] to keep doing things like this at my age—I can’t believe it.” These words now carry additional poignancy, reflecting a woman who remained passionate about her craft and optimistic about the future right up until the end.

A Life Rich in Love and Family

Beyond her professional accomplishments, O’Hara built a beautiful personal life centered around her family. She is survived by her husband, Oscar-nominated production designer Bo Welch, whom she married in 1992. The couple met on the set of “Beetlejuice,” a fact O’Hara shared with warmth in a 2018 InStyle interview. “That’s where I met my husband! He designed the sets, so I have nothing but fond memories of that movie,” she recalled. “We shot on stage in Los Angeles, and then at the end, we went to Vermont to do the exteriors of the house.” She remembered with amusement how Bo had talked to her frequently during production but never asked her out, leading her to complain to director Tim Burton. “Our production designer, Bo [Welch], went ahead with the art department to get the exterior sets for the house ready, and I was grouching to Tim Burton about how this guy was talking to me all the time and never asking me out,” she shared. “We had a break between filming in Los Angeles and on location, and in that time, Tim told Bo that he should ask me out.” Their first date came on the very day they began shooting at the Vermont house, prompting O’Hara to affectionately credit “Matchmaking Tim Burton!” for bringing them together. O’Hara and Welch shared two sons, Matthew and Luke, who now carry forward their mother’s legacy of creativity, warmth, and looking forward with optimism. Catherine O’Hara leaves behind not just an extraordinary body of work, but countless memories of laughter, a model of professional excellence, and the reminder that it’s never too late to look forward to what comes next.