Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone actress Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71.
The Hollywood legend died at her home in Los Angeles on Friday, as confirmed to Metro.
Her cause of death is currently unclear, but it comes ‘following a brief illness’.
A private celebration of her life will be held by the family in due course.
O’Hara was best known for roles such as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988) and Macaulay Culkin’s on-screen mother, Kate, in Home Alone (1990) and its Lost in New York sequel (1992).
She also starred alongside Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy as Moira Rose in 80 episodes of the beloved comedy Schitt’s Creek, which aired from 2015 to 2020.
Her portrayal of the eccentric former soap opera star wife of Johnny Rose saw her win big, taking home a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award.
O’Hara’s most recent work saw her star opposite Seth Rogen in the hit Apple TV+ series The Studio, for which she earned an Emmy nomination.
She was also revered for showcasing her talents in Christopher Guest’s hit mockumentaries, including Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003).
Born in Toronto, Canada, O’Hara was one of seven children. Her first experience of acting was when she played the Virgin Mary in a Nativity play.
After leaving high school, O’Hara worked as a waitress at the Second City Theatre, where she came across the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Joe Flaherty.
Speaking in 2024, the star shared: ‘I was lucky enough to watch everybody.’
O’Hara eventually joined the company in 1974. However, she later confessed to feeling anxious whenever she was on the stage.
She admitted to The New Yorker in 2019: ‘My crutch was, in improvs, when in doubt, play insane. Because you didn’t have to excuse anything that came out of your mouth. It didn’t have to make sense.’
O’Hara eventually landed a role on a TV sketch show called Second City Television, which aired on NBC in the 80s. The actress became famous for her impressions of various well-known celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Brooke Shields.
In 1980, O’Hara made her film debut when she starred alongside John Candy in Double Negative.
Then, in 1988, came her part as the stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia in the hit movie Beetlejuice, which proved to be a huge commercial success, with Home Alone following two years later.
Speaking fondly of the festive flick, O’Hara once described it as ‘a perfect movie’.
Throughout her glittering career, which spanned five decades, she received various accolades and honours, whether it be Screen Actors Guild Awards or a Forbes 50 Over 50 slot.
She is survived by her husband, American production designer Bo Welch, 74, whom she married in 1992, and their two adult children, Luke and Matthew Welch.
In 2024, the comedy queen revealed that she actually had her own Home Alone-esque experience with her kids, admitting to People that, during a subway trip in NYC, the couple briefly lost their sons.
‘We turned around, the doors are closing, and they just weren’t on,’ she said. ‘I screamed, and people screamed with me. Everybody joined in.’
Thankfully, the doors did open again, and they were able to make it on, but it still very much echoed the ordeal of the McCallister family, albeit briefly.
‘It makes me sick to think what could have happened,’ O’Hara added at the time.
O’Hara made her final public appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards in September.
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