Catherine O’Hara, Canadian actor and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star, dead at 71

Catherine O’Hara, Canadian comedic actor and star of Schitt’s Creek, has died, her manager confirmed to Global News.

According to a statement from her agency, Creative Artists Agency, she passed at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” the Associated Press reported.

She was 71.

O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, the second oldest of seven siblings. After graduating from high school, she got a job as a waitress at the Second City Theater.

After auditioning for the cast, then-director Joe Flaherty advised, “Keep up the day job. Keep up the waitressing,” according to the Second City website.

O’Hara eventually joined the company in 1974 and was cast in a TV show called Second City Television, where she became known for both her impressions of celebrities and original fan-favourite characters.

O’Hara made her film debut in 1980’s Double Negative, which also featured future Schitt’s Creek co-star, Eugene Levy. O’Hara then took on roles in Martin Scorsese’s 1985 black comedy After Hours and 1986’s Heartburn.

In 1988, she had a role in Beetlejuice as Delia Deetz, the stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia. O’Hara later reprised her role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. She also hosted Saturday Night Live twice in 1991 and 1992 but opted to leave the show to return to Second City Television.

One of her most well-known roles was in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York as the forgetful mother of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin, which has gone on to be one of the most beloved movie franchises.

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She would team up with Levy and his son Dan for Schitt’s Creek in 2015, as the show grew from only streaming in Canada to being picked up by Netflix.

Reactions to O’Hara’s death have begun to pour in.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X that “I join Canadians and fans across the world in mourning the loss of Catherine O’Hara.”

“Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy — from the iconic Toronto production of Godspell to SCTV to Schitt’s Creek. Canada has lost a legend,” he added.

“My thoughts are with her family, friends, and all those who loved her work on screen. She will be dearly missed.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also posted that himself and his wife Anaida “are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Canadian comedic legend Catherine O’Hara.”

Former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also took to , calling O’Hara a “beloved Canadian icon.”

Canadian-American comedian Tom Green also paid tribute to O’Hara in an X post, calling O’Hara “one of the greatest Canadian comedy icons of all time.”

Fellow Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin posted a photo of him and O’Hara from the movie to his Instagram with the tribute: “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.”

Pedro Pascal also posted a tribute to her on his Instagram account, saying “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 one and ONLY #CatherineOHara.”

Actor Lily Tomlin called O’Hara “bright, beautiful, and full of joy that touched so many” in an Instagram post.

Actor Justin Theroux also posted on his Instagram account; “Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed.”

When O’Hara was awarded the Order of Canada in in 2017, she was highlighted as a “cultural trailblazer” whose “international success has inspired many artists and helped pave the way for the next generation of women in comedy.”

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