Catherine O’Hara’s death reportedly left some friends in ‘complete shock’ after it was revealed she’d faced a ‘brief illness’.
On Friday news broke that the Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone actress had died at the age of 71.
The Hollywood legend died at her home in Los Angeles that day, as confirmed to Metro. While her cause of death is currently unclear, it was revealed it had followed ‘a brief illness’.
The actress made her final public appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards in September, however the news that she was ill was reported to have left those close to her and husband Bo Welch surprised.
The Daily Mail has reported that many of those closest to O’Hara were kept in the dark about her condition during her final days, which had left some friends in ‘complete shock’.
Following news of her death breaking, a LA Fire Department spokesperson said that ‘at 4:48am [Friday] we responded to a request for medical aid’.
Meanwhile a brief 911 audio recording appeared to reveal dispatchers referring to her having ‘difficulty breathing’.
The Daily Mail also spoke to a source that said O’Hara was ‘in great spirits’ in recent weeks.
A few weeks ago, she was spotted at SUR Restaurant in West Hollywood, which is owned by reality star Lisa Vanderpump, who was hosting an event for Supermodels Unlimited magazine.
Although O’Hara managed to dodge any photos, the source shared: ‘She was in great spirits. As quickly as she was seen, she left, but she looked healthy for a 71-year-old.’
Meanwhile her neighbour Paul Herman, a retired physician who lived next door to her in the Brentwood neighbourhood for over 25 years, also said he had ‘no knowledge’ of her mystery illness.
However, he said he hadn’t seen her out in the area for ‘years’. ‘Bo and Catherine were always very pleasant. They were just the kindest, most agreeable neighbours, he added.
Despite being nominated for an award at last month’s Golden Globes for her role as Patty Leigh’s in Seth Rogan’s series The Studio, the actress was noticeably absent from the awards ceremony.
It was also reported that O’Hara had been forced to miss the start of filming for season two of the Apple TV Plus series just days before her death.
The actress had been expected to return to set when production began in mid-January.
According to sources close to the production, The Studio began filming last week and O’Hara was expected to appear in some of the early scenes.
But those plans were quietly changed due to ‘personal matters’ according to The Sun.
‘She was scheduled to film, but they reworked the schedule to focus on scenes without her character,’ they said.
‘It was not widely known she was dealing with any health or major issues.’
Meanwhile the production insider added: ‘I don’t believe she ever filmed anything for season two.’
The actress’ sudden death also came as a ‘shock’ to everyone on the show. ‘She was the most beloved person on the set. This is a huge loss not just for The Studio, but for the world in general. She’s a legend,’ they said.
The actress had previously revealed that she had been diagnosed with situs inversus – a rare genetic condition in which major internal organs sit on the mirror opposite side of the body from their normal positions.
However, the condition is generally harmless and is not believed to have been related to her death.
O’Hara is survived by her husband of 33 years, a production designer whom she first met on the set of the movie Beetlejuice. The couple also shared sons, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.
A private celebration of her life will be held by the family in due course.
Born in Toronto, Canada, O’Hara’s career spanned over 50 years. Across her career she won two Emmys, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Notable roles came in Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek.
In more recent years she also appeared in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us.
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