Catherine O'Hara dead at 71: Legendary Home Alone and Schitt's Creek star passes away four months after final public appearance

Catherine O’Hara, the beloved actress known for Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and Best in Show, has died at the age of 71.

A statement from CAA, the agency that represented O’Hara, said the actress died Friday 'at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness', though the cause of death has not been released. 

A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'At 4:48 am we responded to a request for medical aid to that address and transported an approximately 70-year-old female in serious condition.' 

Daily Mail has requested comment from reps for O'Hara. 

She leaves behind her husband of 30-plus years Bo Welch, and their sons Matthew, 32, and Luke, 29. 

O’Hara’s last public appearance was at the Emmys in September, where she appeared frail on the red carpet. 

O'Hara was notably absent from the 2026 Golden Globes on January 11, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress on Television for The Studio. 

The ceremony saw her Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin take to the stage to present the award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, and reflect on his role in the holiday classic. 

As news of O’Hara’s tragic death spread, Culkin led the tributes on Instagram with a heartbreaking post. 

He shared a split image: one from the classic Home Alone film and another from a more recent reunion at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023. 

'Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later,' he wrote. 

Other stars also paid tribute, including Pedro Pascal, who appeared alongside O’Hara in season two of HBO’s The Last of Us. 

Posting on Instagram, he wrote, ‘Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always,’ adding a heart emoji.

Justin Theroux, who co-starred with O’Hara in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, shared a photo of her on-set chair bearing her name, writing simply, ‘Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed.’

And filmmaker Ron Howard, who worked with O’Hara on the 1994 film The Paper, called the loss ‘shattering news.’ ‘What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator,’ he wrote. 

‘I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her, and she only grew more brilliant each year. My heart goes out to Bo and family.’

Just a week before her startling appearance at the 2025 Emmys in September, O’Hara reunited with another longtime collaborator, Eugene Levy, as she was honored with the Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

She was clearly emotional as Levy handed her the golden award, leading to a heartfelt acceptance speech.

‘Eugene, that's too much. Thank you, darling,’ she said after his introduction. 

The star continued, ‘Darling Eugene. When I think of my happiest days in this adventure in show business, I realize most of them have been with you.’

Their on-screen partnership stretches back to the 1970s, when they first shared the screen on Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television. 

They went on to co-star in the 1996 comedy-musical Waiting for Guffman, which Levy co-wrote with Christopher Guest, and later in the 2000 dog show satire Best in Show, playing Gerry and Cookie Fleck.

O’Hara and Levy continued their collaboration in 2003 with the mockumentary A Mighty Wind, centered on a fictional folk music reunion, and again in 2006 with For Your Consideration, a Hollywood spoof where O’Hara played an actress and Levy her co-star’s agent.

A Toronto native, O’Hara got her start as a member of the legendary SCTV cast, helping launch the careers of comedy icons like John Candy, Levy, and Rick Moranis. 

The actress became a household name playing Culkin's mom in the first two Home Alone films, and she charmed audiences as the eccentric Moira Rose in all 80 episodes of Schitt’s Creek.

Her comedic talent also shone in Christopher Guest’s hit mockumentaries, including Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003). 

Fans also remember her unforgettable turns in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.

Over the past decade, she enjoyed a career resurgence with Schitt’s Creek, earning an Emmy for her role as the eccentric Moira Rose.

In 2020, she nabbed the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.

Her talent extended well beyond comedy, with 2025's The Studio showcasing her ability to move effortlessly between comedic and dramatic roles.

O’Hara’s awards résumé was already formidable: she won an Emmy in 1982 for her work on SCTV Network and again in 2020 for her iconic turn as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek, while earning eight additional nominations for acting and writing.

In 2017, she was named to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honors.

In 2025, she received a rare double nomination, recognized for her guest role on HBO’s The Last of Us and her performance in The Studio.