Catherine O’Hara has died at 71

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Catherine O’Hara, the radiant actress whose singular comedic delivery helped elevate movies and TV shows like “Beetlejuice,” “Home Alone” and “Schitt’s Creek” to cult classic status, has died. She was 71.

A statement from CAA, the agency that represented O’Hara, said the actress died Friday “at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.”

O’Hara got her start at Second City in her native Canada, before turning to film, where she brought to life two of cinema’s most memorable mothers.

In 1988’s “Beetlejuice,” she played Delia Deetz, a devilish mom who made no secret of her love for “Prince Valium” and turned lip syncing into an art form. She reprised the role in 2024’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

In 1990’s “Home Alone,” O’Hara turned a one-word movie line (“KEVIN!”) into pop culture history. As a frazzled mom of five who left one of her brood (Macaulay Culkin) at home during their holiday trip to France, O’Hara brought heart and humor to the now classic Christmas movie. A sequel was released in 1992.

Just two years ago, O’Hara showed up to the Walk of Fame ceremony as her on-screen son Culkin received his star.

“Thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice, to share in this happy occasion,” O’Hara told him. “I’m so proud of you.”

O’Hara embraces Culkin during the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

On Friday, Culkin paid tribute to O’Hara on social media, addressing her as “mama.” “I thought we had time,” he wrote. “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.”

“Home Alone” director Chris Columbus said he was “stunned and heartbroken” by O’Hara’s passing and praised the “profound emotional depth” she brought to the movie.

“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,” he told CNN in a statement.

He added: “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.”

Candy had a part in the movie, playing a traveling musician whose band helps O’Hara’s character get home to her child.

After the success of “Home Alone,” she turned to collaborating with director Christopher Guest, starring in many of his iconic mockumentaries, including “Waiting for Guffman” (1996) and “Best in Show” (2000).

“I am devastated,” Guest told CNN in a statement. “We have lost one of the comic giants of our age.”

In pictures: Catherine O’Hara’s memorable roles

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In those films, O’Hara worked often alongside Eugene Levy, becoming a signature duo who went on to co-star in the acclaimed series “Schitt’s Creek” together. As wayward posh actress Moira Rose, O’Hara’s one-liners were meme gold and earned her critical praise.

O’Hara won an Emmy in 2020 during a Covid-era ceremony that saw stars masked up and celebrating while scattered across the globe, with the action captured on 130 dispatched cameras.

In her speech, O’Hara thanked creators Eugene and Dan Levy for “bestowing me the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be her ridiculous self.”

O’Hara also won a Golden Globe for her performance on the show in 2021.

“Moira’s way more interesting than I am,” she told the New York Times. “And the fun thing about her was that she was an actor, so I could, once in a while, get to perform or get to do an accent. Once you’ve had that in your life, it’s really hard to give up.”

Most recently, O’Hara played a fallen executive in “The Studio,” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. She also appeared in a critical role in Season 2 of HBO Max’s “The Last of Us,” for which she was also nominated for an Emmy.

O’Hara with actors Ike Barinholtz (right) and Zoë Kravitz in “The Studio.”
Apple TV+

Star Pedro Pascal called O’Hara a “genius” on a tribute posted to his Instagram page.

“There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always,” he wrote.

O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch and sons Matthew and Luke.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family, according to her agency.