“I’m a freak,” the late actress teased

On Friday, Jan. 30, Catherine O’Hara died at age 71 after being transported to the hospital in “serious condition.” She was reportedly suffering from a “brief illness.”

While her cause of death has not been confirmed, the Canadian actress, known for roles in films like Beetlejuice and Home Alone, shared previously that she was born with a rare genetic condition where her heart sits on the opposite side of her chest.

The condition is known as situs inversus, a genetic variation where the organs in the chest and abdomen are positioned in a mirror image of normal anatomy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It affects about 1 in every 10,000 people. (There is no evidence that situs inversus contributed to her death.)

Catherine O’Hara in March 2025.Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Most people don’t know they have situs inversus, as it doesn’t cause any signs or symptoms that require treatment. The condition is typically harmless but can sometimes be associated with other health complications, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

In 2020, O’Hara opened up about the condition during a Virtual Happy Hour with winemaker Kathryn Hall.

“I’m a freak,” the Emmy winner said with a laugh.

The Schitt’s Creek star also said she has dextrocardia, the type of situs inversus where the heart points toward the right side of the chest and other organs are flipped.

She learned about the condition more than 20 years ago when visiting the doctor with her husband Bo Welch.

“I love Western medicine, I just don’t want to be a part of it. But I had to get a TB test when our youngest was in co-op nursery school and I went to my husband’s doctor and he said let’s do some baseline tests, and one of them was an EKG,” she recalled.

Catherine O’Hara in March 2024.Mike Coppola/Getty

O’Hara explained that she was confused when the doctor tried using two different EKG machines and then ordered a chest x-ray.

“I was like, ‘What is happening?’ He calls us into his office and says ‘You’re the first one I’ve met!’” she said, noting that it was the first time she’d ever heard about situs inversus.

“I’m one of seven kids and my parents were already gone and left the world by that time. Never heard anything about this,” she said at the time. “We’re driving home and I think, ‘I wonder about my other siblings if they know where their hearts are!’”

“When the doctor told us that my heart was on the right side and my organs were flipped, my husband immediately said ‘No, her head’s on backwards,’” she said with a laugh. “Cheers to health!”