Catherine O’Hara, the beloved actress whose laugh-lined face and unforgettable characters made millions smile, has died at age 71. Her passing was confirmed Friday by her agency, which said she died at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness.
O’Hara was a name almost everybody knows without thinking. She was the wise-cracking mom in the holiday classics Home Alone and Home Alone 2, the wildly eccentric Moira Rose on the hit show Schitt’s Creek, and the unforgettable Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice. Her talent stretched from sketch comedy stages to family movies and smart television drama.
Born in Toronto in 1954, O’Hara got her start in live comedy with the legendary Second City troupe. That early training sharpened her comic instincts and opened doors to television and film roles that would define her career. Over five decades, she built a résumé that included voice work, film comedies, television hits, and projects with beloved directors and actors.
Her portrayal of Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek won her a Primetime Emmy and helped turn the show into a cultural touchstone, especially for a generation discovering the series on streaming. She also earned Emmy recognition earlier in her career for writing on the sketch series SCTV.
Friends and colleagues responded with heartfelt tributes. Macaulay Culkin, who played her son Kevin in Home Alone, shared a touching note online, saying he thought they “had time” together and that he wished he could have spoken more to her before she passed.
In recent years, O’Hara continued to take on varied roles, including appearances in The Last of Us and Apple TV+’s The Studio. Audiences and co-stars alike admired her range — from cartoonish humor to poignant, grounded performances.
She is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, whom she met on the set of Beetlejuice, and their two sons. No cause of death has been publicly shared beyond the brief illness she suffered.
Catherine O’Hara’s work never felt like just acting. It felt like she was inviting us into the room with her — messy, hilarious, deeply human. Tonight, the world feels quieter without that voice.
