Catherine O’Hara: the loss of a legend
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/NBC
Last week, the world was forced to mourn the loss of one of the most legendary women to ever grace the screens. On Jan. 30, 2026, famous actress Catherine O’Hara passed away at 71 years old. The official cause of her death has not yet been released to the public, as of Feb. 3. However, it is known, according to an article on E! News that she was admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles in "serious condition.” She passed away a few hours later, likely due to a battle with “a brief illness,” as E! News suggests. The illness itself has not been specified to the public thus far.
Catherine O’Hara was born and lived in Canada. She got her start in comedy, both acting and writing in Second City Television (1977-1984), according to NBC News. She won an Outstanding Writing award in the form of a Primetime Emmy in 1982, according to IMDB. O’Hara quickly defined herself as an incredibly talented actress who was able to walk just about every genre of film there was, though comedy seemed to take center stage in her heart. In a line from one of her Emmy Award acceptance speeches for her role as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020), she mentioned how she loved getting to play a woman who got to be “her ridiculous self.” Through her acting, she was able to touch the lives of a large and diverse audience.
Many people have become used to seeing Catherine O’Hara shine on their screen every year around the holiday season. As documented on IMDB, O’Hara played the mother of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone (1990), and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). She has always been a prominent actress in comedy, and audience members have her to thank for the comedic horror they witness every year of Kate McCallister realizing she left her son at home.
O’Hara would also become a symbol of some of the spookier sides of comedy, starring in multiple Tim Burton productions. According to IMDB, these roles included Delia in Beetlejuice (1988) and the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), voice acting Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and voicing multiple characters in Frankenweenie (2012), including Mrs. Frankenstein. It was through working for Burton that O’Hara would eventually meet her husband, Bo Welch. According to an article by Entertainment Weekly, Welch worked as the production designer for Beetlejuice (1988), and was encouraged by Tim Burton himself to ask O’Hara on a date. O’Hara would later go on to call him “Matchmaking Tim Burton.” The two indeed married, and went on to have two children, Matthew and Luke Welch. The world may have lost a legend, but her children have lost much more.
Catherine O’Hara continued to be a successful actress for nearly 50 years, since her debut in 1977. Throughout her career, she starred in a plethora of notable roles, all detailed on IMDB, including Cookie Fleck in Best in Show (2000), Mickey Crabbe in A Mighty Wind (2003), Moira in Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020), and even Gail Lyndon in The Last of Us (2025). These roles and more won her an abundance of awards, further demonstrating her talent.
According to IMDB, she achieved 38 awards, and was nominated for 56. A few notable awards include a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy or Musical in 2021thanks to Schitt’s Creek (2020-2015), and a National Board of Review (NBR) Award for Best Supporting Actress in For Your Consideration (2006).
According to an article on Variety, O’Hara managed to maintain a close relationship with fellow Home Alone (1990) actor, Macaulay Culkin, who even continued to call her “mom” past the movie's filming. Fellow Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020) star Chris Elliot described her as a “warm hearted, generous, and humble human being,” according to an article by USA Today. Others praised her good sense of humor and dedication to her work.
The death of Catherine O’Hara was truly a loss of a talented and wonderful person. She played a part in so many iconic films and shows that made up many people’s childhood. She was dedicated to her work, and cared deeply for the people around her. Her memory will be treasured forever in the hearts of so many people.