Catherine O’Hara was an iconic actress who starred in movies and shows like Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek, and many more. Her career in Hollywood began in 1980 with her film Deadly Companion, but her most recognizable role was in 1990, in Home Alone.
“‘Mama. I thought we had time,’ co-star Macaulay Culkin wrote following her death. ‘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.’ In Culkin’s post, he included side-by-side photos of him and O’Hara on the “Home Alone” set and more recently, in December 2023, when O’Hara supported Culkin at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. ” Is what Home Alone star, Macaulay Culkin said on Catherine O’Hara’s death according to Good Morning America. Good Morning America also included her dear friend and co-star, since 1972, Eugene Levy’s comment on her death. “‘Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today,’ Eugene Levy, O’Hara’s frequent collaborator, said in a statement, first reported by People. ‘I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years. From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship,’ he continued. ‘And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.’” Eugene Levy’s children, Sarah and Dan Levy, also her co-stars, commented and shared photos after her death as well.
Over the years, O’Hara had many memorable roles and was a very successful Hollywood actress. Her most memorable roles were in Home Alone 1 & Home Alone 2. VanityFair described her phenomenal acting and radiant energy, “O’Hara’s devotees don’t just admire the arc of her career, they dote over all the tiny comedic choices—a character’s limp, say, or her drowsy scorn, or her melodramatic way of wilting to the floor—that have made the people the actor has played so specifically and generously alive. In Home Alone, her bright blue eyes flooded with horror on the plane just before she screamed one immortal word: “KEVIN!” In Beetlejuice, she bellowed “Day-O!” and then led her dinner guests in a supernaturally possessed dance number.” Catherine O’Hara’s death was something that not only shocked all of her co-stars but also all the fans who loved her.
O’Hara died January 30, 2026, at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA. O’Hara was 71 years old, and her death came as somewhat surprising as she did not have any health conditions that the public knew about. Catherine O’Hara died of something known as a Pulmonary Embolism, a sudden and life-threatening blood clot that blocks one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs, causing respiratory issues, coughing blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, and, oftentimes, death. The news outlet BBC made a statement on her cause of death: “In addition to the blood clot in her lungs, the death certificate listed rectal cancer as the long-term cause of death.” O’Hara was suffering from rectal cancer, which highly increases the risk of Pulmonary Embolism and other issues with blood clots.
Catherine O’Hara was such an unforgettable actress who accomplished amazing things in her life, playing her memorable roles perfectly and capturing the essence of every character. She will be greatly missed by co-stars and movie lovers all over the world.
