On Friday, January 30, the death of Catherine O’Hara shocked everyone. At 71, a well-known actor Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and many other movies and shows that have passed due to a “short illness,” according to multiple reports.
After these stories, O’Hara was honored by several buyers over the decades, including Home Alone Macaulay Culkin. “Mom, I thought we had more time,” she wrote on Instagram. “I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in the seat next to you. I heard. But I had more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
“She has been my pretend wife, my pretend enemies and my real life, true friend,” said Michael Keaton. “We go back before the first one Beetle juice. This is painful. Man will I miss him. Thinking [her husband, Bo Welch] like that.”
“Oh, genius to be around you. Thank you forever,” he added our last’ Pedro Pascal. “There is a little light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always ♥️.” Separately, series creator Craig Mazin remembered her as a “wonderful, intelligent, kind, beautiful person. I think she would rather we kept laughing somehow, or at least not crying. We were lucky to have you at all.”
In a joint statement, the cast and employees of Apple Studio called him “a hero to all of us, and we were overwhelmed every day working with him. We are incredibly saddened that he is gone and send our deepest sympathies to Bo and his entire family.”
Separately, his longtime friend and Schitt’s Creek Eugene Levy called it “fame [to know and work with] Catherine for more than fifty years. From our debut on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we made with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss him. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and the entire O’Hara family.”
We’ve collected more eulogies for O’Hara below.
What an honor it was to be robbed by Catherine O’Hara. What an unfathomable loss. We love you, Catherine. Comedy wouldn’t be the same without him. Sending love to Catherine’s family, friends, partners, and fans today. They are really loved. pic.twitter.com/ucUYTj8zmm
– Brooke Shields (@BrookeShields) January 30, 2026
This is sad news. An amazing person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and work on projects with him and he grew smarter each year. My heart goes out to Bo and the family. #RIPCatherineO‘Hara
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) January 30, 2026
From SCTV to Home Alone to her unforgettable role as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, Catherine O’Hara was a beloved Canadian icon with a rare gift for humor and heart. He made people laugh for generations and helped bring Canadian storytelling to the world in a way that only he… pic.twitter.com/tO72Xy3yqp
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 30, 2026
While working at Toronto’s Second City Theatre, Catherine O’Hara was apprenticed to Gilda Radner.
When Radner left in 1974, O’Hara became a member of the company, and his ability to imbue his comic characters with depth and personality began a career that spanned decades. pic.twitter.com/NazY2aEuQA
— Encyclopaedia Britannica (@Britannica) January 30, 2026
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