Catherine O’Hara, two-time Emmy Award winner and beloved movie star, has died at the age of 71.
A representative for O’Hara confirmed the news to Business Insider on Friday afternoon. Her agency said in a statement that her death on Friday came after a “brief illness,” per The Associated Press.
O’Hara has been a fixture of TV and movies since breaking out on the Canadian sketch comedy series “SCTV” in the early ’80s alongside John Candy, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, and Rick Moranis.
Since then, she’s become beloved to audiences for her roles in
“Beetlejuice,” “Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “The Studio,” “Best in Show,” “The Last of Us,” and many voiceover roles, including Sally in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Susan Frankenstein in “Frankenweenie.”
See her legendary career in photos.
Catherine O’Hara’s breakout was performing with the Canadian comedy troupe Second City in the ’70s and ’80s.
“SCTV,” a sketch series about a fictional TV network, ran on Canadian television from 1976 to 1984 and on NBC from 1981 to 1983.
O’Hara was just one of the many Canadian comedians who were introduced to American audiences through “SCTV,” which was something of a cult classic.
She won her first Emmy, for writing on “SCTV,” in 1982.
She met many of her longtime collaborators there, including Eugene Levy.
“You’re lucky to work with friends, and I think it’s nice to see friends together. I like knowing when people know each other and have a history; that comes across on screen. I think it’s fun for people to see. It is for me,” O’Hara told BuzzFeed about working with Levy in 2014.
Her first major film role was 1988’s “Beetlejuice,” sparking another long collaboration between O’Hara and director Tim Burton.
The “Day-O” scene in “Beetlejuice” is perhaps the most iconic in a film filled with iconic scenes, and it all starts with O’Hara’s character.
O’Hara went on to work with Burton in “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Frankenweenie,” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
“Beetlejuice” was also important for her personal life — she met her husband, production designer Bo Welch, on the set.
They were married from 1992 until her death. They shared two sons.
O’Hara will always be known for playing Kate McAllister in 1990’s “Home Alone” and its 1992 sequel.
O’Hara has been a staple in homes around the world every December for 35 years due to her role as Kevin’s mom, Kate, in “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”
She also appeared in multiple mockumentaries written and directed by Christopher Guest in the ’90s and 2000s.
Specifically, she was in “Waiting for Guffman” in 1996, “Best in Show” in 2000, “A Mighty Wind” in 2003, and “For Your Consideration” in 2006.
Starting in 2015, she became known to an entirely new generation as Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.”
“Schitt’s Creek” became a full-blown phenomenon across its run from 2015 to 2020, and many of the show’s most memorable moments came from her character, Moira.
She won an Emmy for her performance as the lovably kooky Rose matriarch.
She won in 2020 after receiving a nomination for the prior year, as well. It was her second win from eight nominations.
Her last public appearance was the 2025 Emmys, where she was nominated for her performances in “The Last of Us” and “The Studio.”
O’Hara was a double nominee at last year’s Emmys, which were held in September. She was nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for “The Studio” and outstanding guest actress in a drama series for “The Last of Us.”
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