Saying Goodbye To Catherine O’Hara, Thank You For All The Laughs
Catherine O’Hara, famous for her work in Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and Best in Show, has passed away at the age of 71. She died Friday, according to two sources with direct knowledge. The cause of death hasn’t been made public.
She was one of those performers who felt eternal, like she’d always be around to pop up in something new and remind us how funny a perfectly timed look or line delivery could be.
I wasn’t expecting to face this kind of news today. Losing Catherine O’Hara seriously sucks. I am such a big fan of her because she was so damn funny.
She had this rare gift for comedy that felt effortless, human, and a little unhinged. Whenever she showed up on screen, I knew I was in for something special, and more often than not, she has me lauhging my ass off.
A lot of people first met her as Kate McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, frantically trying to get back to her son. She brought warmth, panic, and humor into those movies. She really was the heart of those movies.
Then there’s Moira Rose. What Catherine did on Schitt’s Creek was something truly wild and wonderful. That character could’ve been exhausting or one-note in the wrong hands, but she turned Moira into an icon. All of it worked because Catherine committed completely. It was fearless, ridiculous, and heartfelt all at once, and it’s no surprise that role introduced her to a whole new generation of fans.
Her film career was filled with unforgettable performances across decades. From Beetlejuice and her recent return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as the delightfully strange Delia Deetz, to films like After Hours, Heartburn, Penelope, Away We Go, Where the Wild Things Are, A.C.O.D., The Right Kind of Wrong, and even lending her voice to The Nightmare Before Christmas, she always brought something unique to every project. Even in smaller roles, she left a mark that stuck with you.
One of my favorite chapters of her career came through her collaborations with Christopher Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy. The mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration are comedy gold, and Catherine is hilarious in all of them.
Her improvisational work in those films showed just how sharp and playful she was, reacting in the moment and elevating everyone around her.
More recently, she appeared opposite Seth Rogen in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, earning an Emmy nomination for her performance. She also showed up in season two of the HBO series The Last of Us, reminding everyone she could slide effortlessly into drama without losing the spark that made her so beloved.
Those performances earned her Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, which felt right. She was still at the top of her game.
Catherine was born and raised in Toronto, the sixth of seven children, and that big-family energy always felt baked into her performances. She met her husband, production designer Bo Welch, on the set of Beetlejuice. They married in 1992 and raised two sons, Matthew and Luke.
What I’ll miss most is how she made comedy feel joyful. She didn’t chase laughs, she earned them by being fully present in every scene. Catherine O’Hara always made me laugh, and she’s left behind an incredible legacy of films and comedy.
Thank You, Catherine for a lifetime of laughs.
Rest easy, Catherine. Thanks for all the laughs, the strange characters, and the moments that still make me laugh. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.