Catherine O'Hara, who had Schitt's Creek, Home Alone, Best In Show, Beetlejuice and so many other iconic movies and TV shows on her resume, has died at the age of 71. She leaves behind her husband of 34 years, Bo Welsh, her two children, and an incredible legacy in Hollywood.
The news was first reported by TMZ, and a rep confirmed to Rolling Stone that the actress died at her home in Los Angeles "after a brief illness." This news feels quite sudden, the second season of The Studio kicked off production just last week in Los Angeles alongside Seth Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz and Chase Sui Wonders.
Per The Sun, O'Hara's scenes had to be delayed due to "personal matters," but the cast and crew didn't know she was dealing with life-threatening health issues. The news of her death apparently came to a "huge shock" of those on The Studio. Now, O'Hara's first season on The Studio will be known as her last performance.
The actress was born on March 4, 1954, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she'd eventually get into improv comedy at her hometown's own The Second City troupe. O'Hara was hired as a cast member on Saturday Night Live for a single week before going to Canada's version, SCTV.
She transitioned from being mainly known for sketch comedy and TV in the 1980s, notably getting a role in Martin Scorsese's After Hours and Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, of course! The 1990s were a massive decade for Catherine O'Hara, given she played the mom in the Home Alone movies – her delivery of "KEVIN!" will live rent-free in our heads forever.
She also made another movie with Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas, where she voiced the role of Sally, which has amassed a huge following since its release. You can't go a Halloween without seeing a Sally costume. O'Hara spent a lot of her time doing voice work in animated TV and movies, including Chicken Little, Monster House, Frankenweenie, When Marnie Was There (English version), and Elemental, with her last job in the medium being 2024'sThe Wild Robot.
She also frequently collaborated with Christopher Guest for his mockumentary movies 1996's Waiting for Guffman, 2000's Best in Show, 2003's A Mighty Wind and 2006'sFor Your Consideration.
All that and we haven't talked much about her beloved comedy series, Schitt's Creek, where she played the funniest and most quotable character on the show, Moira Rose, for six seasons with Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy and the rest of the Schitt's Creek cast.
O'Hara was married to Bo Welsh, who was the production designer on Beetlejuice. They met while on the set of the film in 1987, and they got married in 1992. They have two sons together, Matthew and Luke, who were born in 1994 and 1997.
It's a sad day knowing we've lost such an incredible talent, and we're sending our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Catherine O'Hara. Thankfully, her incredible body of work will live on forever and continue to make audiences laugh for generations to come.
