Catherine O’Hara, known best for her roles in Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and Beetlejuice, has sadly passed away. The Emmy-winning actress and comedian died on January 30, at her home in Los Angeles.Her official cause of death was later listed as a “pulmonary embolism”,a complication of underlying cancer,according to the Los Angeles County Certificate issued on February 9, 2026.
Born on March 4,1954 in Ontario, Canada, Catherine O’Hara displayed a tenacity for a career in the arts from a young age. After graduating from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute in 1974, she joined a local comedic improv troupe, The Second City, alongside her brother, Marcus, where she started out as an understudy, and eventually being promoted to a resident leading female comic in 1976. During that same year, Second City aired the sketch comedy show, Second City Television (SCTV), on which O’Hara was a regular performer.
Through the mid-1970s into the early 1980s, Catherine would expand her repertoire, appearing in television and films such as Double Negative, alongside fellow Second City members, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty. She also appeared in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, as well as winning an Emmy as outstanding writer for SCTV Network 90, an offshoot of the original series that was then brought over to the United States by NBC.
In 1988, O’Hara portrayed Delia Deetz in the horror-comedy film, Beetlejuice, where she gained notice for her often eccentric and witty character roles. In a dinner party scene where she is humorously possessed and sings and dances to “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” leading to one of the most iconic moments in the film. She would later reprise her role in the 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
The 1990s would bring further limelight to O’Hara, through her roles in films such as Kate McCallister in the holiday-comedy film, Home Alone, and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. She portrayed Moira Rose in the sitcom,Schitt’s Creek, which ran from 2015 to 2020, winning several awards for her performance, including six Canadian Screen Awards for Best Lead Actress In A Comedy Series.
Tributes from fans and those who worked with O’Hara over the years poured out over social media. Film composer, and singer-songwriter, Danny Elfman, who worked with O’Hara on many film productions with Tim Burton, took to Instagram, writing, “I’m still in shock. Friend, colleague, comrade in mischief, for nearly 40 years .Her talent was truly remarkable, she will be deeply missed.”
Home Alone star, Macaulay Culkin, wrote a touching message after her passing. O’Hara leaves behind her husband, director Bo Welch, and sons, Matthew and Luke, as well as a legacy held in the hearts of those who remember her for her kindness, talent, and charisma both on and off screen.
Sylvia-Novella Underwood is a junior BFA Acting Major, and Arts & Culture writer for The Retriever.
Contact Sylvia at [email protected]