Hollywood star Catherine O’Hara, known for her roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek, and Best in Show, among others, passed away on January 30, 2026, at the age of 71.
While a specific cause of death is yet to be revealed, reports suggest that the actress-comedian was suffering from a brief illness, which eventually led to a serious condition. O’Hara also had Situs inverses, a congenital condition where visceral organs are reversed from their normal positions.
Catherine O’Hara’s agency, Creative Artists Agency, confirmed the news of her death in a statement to Page Six. “Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” they stated.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reportedly responded to a call to her home from a woman presumed to be the actress at around 4:48 a.m. on Friday, January 30. She was later transported to the hospital “in serious condition.”
O’Hara’s demise left Hollywood heartbroken, and several celebrities took to social media to honor the artist. Her onscreen son and Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.
“Mama. I thought we had time. 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,” he wrote.
The duo had a historic reunion in 2023 when O’Hara delivered a heartwarming speech for Culkin at the latter’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
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Home Alone director Chris Columbus wrote, “What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of [‘Home Alone’]. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance.”
O’Hara’s Beetlejuice co-star, Michael Keaton, also shared a tribute on Instagram. “We go back before the first Beetlejuice. She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her,” he wrote.
Beetlejuice creator Tim Burton said, “You were a special part of my life and after life.”
Pedro Pascal, who shared screen with O’Hara in The Last of Us season 2, wrote, “Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always.”
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin said, “I think she would prefer that we keep laughing somehow, or at the very least not cry. Not possible at the moment. As brutal as this feels for anyone who knew or worked with her, I know it is far more painful for her husband and sons and close family.”
He added, “I’m thinking about them right now too. It all hurts terribly. Goodbye, you legend… you wonderful, brilliant, kind, beautiful human being. We were lucky to have had you at all.”
American actress and singer, Rita Wilson, wrote, “Catherine O’Hara — a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did. You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal.”
Seth Rogan, who worked with her on The Studio, penned, “Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honor.”
He added, “She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
“What an honor it was to be spoofed by Catherine O’Hara. What an unfathomable loss,” wrote actress Brooke Shields.
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Hollywood icon Meryl Streep also issued a statement after O’Hara’s passing, the Associated Press reported. “Catherine O’Hara brought love and light to our world, through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed… such a loss for her family and friends, and the audience she graced as friends,” she stated.
Actor-director Christopher Guest said “devastated” over O’Hara’s demise. “We have lost one of the comic giants of our age. I send my love to her family,” he said in a statement to the Associated Press.
The tributes did not stop there. Celebrities such as O’Hara’s The Studio co-stars Bryan Cranston and Ike Barinholtz, actor Justin Theroux, actor Kevin Nealon, singer Michael Buble, filmmaker Sarah Polley, actor-director Ron Howard, actor Paul Hauser, former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, and many others also remembered the actress.
Catherine O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons, Matthew and Luke. The actress and comedian leaves behind a legacy that will be cherished by generations to come.
