Macaulay Culkin has paid a heartbreaking tribute to Catherine O’Hara following the news of her passing on Friday, January 30, 2026. Macaulay and Catherine starred together in the 1990 film Home Alone and its 1992 sequel, and they formed a close relationship, with Macaulay calling Catherine “mom” in the real world.
The actor took to Instagram following the news of her death after a brief illness, writing: “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.”
Catherine played mom Kate in the 1990 classic Christmas movie which saw Macaulay star as eight-year-old Kevin McCallister, who is accidentally left at home over Christmas but is forced to protect the family home when two con men plan to rob the McCallister residence.
The movie’s producer Christopher Columbus also paid tribute, writing: “Today we lost Catherine O’Hara. I’m stunned and heartbroken, along with the rest of the world. I was an obsessive fan of Catherine’s brilliant comedic work on SCTV and was thrilled when she agreed to play Kevin’s Mom in “Home Alone”.
“What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth. I will miss her greatly. Yet there is a small sense of comfort, realizing that two of the finest human beings I’ve ever known, Catherine and John Candy, are together again, brilliantly improvising, making each other laugh.”
The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal also led the tributes to Catherine who played Gail, a therapist who worked with Pedro’s character Joel in season wto, challenging his guarded nature with humor while dealing with her own grief after the death of her husband Eugene.
“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,” Pedro wrote alongside a picture of him and Catherine on the set of season two of The Last of Us. “The one and ONLY #CatherineOHara.”
Seth Rogen, who created The Studio, the 2025 comedy that saw Catherine receive her final Emmy nomination, wrote: “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 honour. 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.”
“I never in a million years thought I would get to work with Catherine O’Hara let alone become friends with her,” wrote Ike Barinhotlz, whio worked with Catherine on The Studio. “So profoundly sad she’s somewhere else nowSo incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her. Thank you Catherine I love you.”
“So much love to you & everyone on your show,” commented Rhea Seehorn.
Meryl Streep was also among the famous faces remembering the actress, and what it was like to work with her.
“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,” said Meryl who acted alongside her in the 1986 comedy Heartburn.
Catherine’s manager confirmed the news of her passing to HELLO! in a short statement.
“Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today (Friday, January 30) at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” it read. A private celebration of life will be held by the family.
© WireImageBorn in 1954 in Toronto, Catherine was the sixth of seven children, and began her career in sketch and improvisational comedy in the series Second City Television in the 1970s. In the 1980s she broke through in comedies After Hours (1985), Heartburn (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), Home Alone (1990) and the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York playing the long-suffering mother of Macaulay’s Kevin.
Michael Keaton, her co-star in the original Beetlejuice, said: “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.”
Alec Baldwin, who also starred in the original film, described Catherine as “one of the greatest comic talents in the movie business” who possessed a “quality that was all her own”.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyCatherine became a frequent collaborator of Christopher Guest’s, appearing in four of his movies: Best in Show, For Your Consideration, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind. She has won two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Her career saw a resurgence in her 60s when she joined the CBC sitcom Schitt’s Creek (2015–2020), earning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the iconic character of Moira Rose opposite Eugene and Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy.
“She was my Meryl Streep,” wrote Paul Walter Hauser. “I could watch her in anything. Didn’t matter how good or bad the film or show was. I wanted to see what she would do…. Not sure I can process or fathom that she’s gone but I am so grateful for the work she did and how she kept such a flawless reputation in a very sketchy and checkered business.”
Director Ron Howard took to X to write: “This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year. My heart goes out to Bo & family. #RIPCatherineO’Hara “
“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,” wrote Rita Wilson. “Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal.”
