Tributes are pouring in for comedy legend Catherine O’Hara after her death at age 71.
Representatives for the beloved actress confirmed that she died at her home in Los Angeles on January 30 following a brief illness.
A two-time Emmy winner with a film and television career of 50 years, O’Hara was best known for her roles in Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek and, more recently, The Studio.
She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Bob Welch, and their two sons, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.
Macauley Culkin, who played O’Hara’s son, Kevin McCallister, in Home Alone, shared a moving tribute to his on-screen mother.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more,” Culkin captioned side-by-side photos of the pair – one of O’Hara embracing a young Culkin in the iconic Christmas film, and one of the actress holding him in a similar embrace at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2024.
“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.”
Michael Douglas starred alongside O’Hara on Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, but noted in his tribute that “we go back before” the 1988 film.
“She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend,” he wrote.
“This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her. Thinking about Beau as well.”
Pedro Pascal, O’Hara’s The Last of Us co-star, wrote on Instagram that it was “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,” Pascal wrote.
“The one and ONLY Catherine O’Hara.”
Hilaria Baldwin, whose husband Alec Baldwin starred alongside O’Hara Beetlejuice, shared a photo of him with the actress to her Instagram Story, captioned: “Rest in peace. #ripcatherineohara Legend.”
“Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed,” O’Hara’s Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice co-star, Justin Theroux, wrote.
“Catherine O’Hara – a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did,” actress Rita Wilson said.
“You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal.”
In a post on X, actor and director Ron Howard, who worked with O’Hara on The Paper in 1994, described her as “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,” Howard wrote, calling her death “shattering news”.
“My heart goes out to Bo & family.”
“I don’t understand what I’m seeing,” actor Josh Gad wrote on Instagram.
“I can’t bring myself to believe she is gone. Why is the world such a heart breaking place right now? I truly cannot process how to say goodbye to someone so full of life who seemed to just be hitting her prime. Goodbye legend. Thank you for making us laugh until we hurt … which is why right now we are all hurting so damned much knowing we will never again get those laughs. RIP. My love and deepest condolences go out to her entire family.”
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In a lengthy post on X, Canadian singer Michael Bublé called O’Hara “one of a kind”.
“Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Bublé wrote.
“A rare light in this world and her passing hits with a weight I can’t fully put into words.
“She wasn’t just a legendary artist, actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest sense: brilliant, fearless, deeply original, and so full of humanity. She made the world laugh, but she also made people feel seen.
“As an artist, she inspired me more than she’ll ever know. She set the bar for what it means to represent your country with excellence and grace and all without ever losing warmth or humility.
“My heart is broken for her family, her loved ones, and everyone who adored her, both here in Canada and around the world. If you’re grieving this loss, you’re not alone. We’re all holding a piece of this sadness together. Rest easy, Catherine. Thank you for everything.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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