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As Hollywood mourns<\/a> the loss of Catherine O\u2019Hara<\/strong><\/a>, fans of the Home Alone<\/em> star<\/a> are looking back at how the late actress discussed the most important role of her life \u2014 mom.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to say, we all make each other laugh,\u201d O\u2019Hara told the Toronto Star<\/em> in 2007 of life with her sons Matthew and Luke<\/a>, who she shared with her husband, Bo Welch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my home, growing up \u2014 I learned that from my parents,\u201d she continued at the time. \u201cThey made each other laugh to the end, God bless \u2018em. How great is that?\u201d<\/p>\n She added of her sons, \u201cThey\u2019re very funny, and we encourage it. The older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-a** funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play.\u201d<\/p>\n News broke on January 30, 2026, that O\u2019Hara died at the age of 71. No cause of death was immediately given, though the actress was reportedly battling an illness<\/a> and hospitalized in \u201cserious condition\u201d<\/a> prior to her death.<\/p>\n Despite her successful career starring in some of the most beloved and iconic TV shows and films<\/a>, including The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em>, Beetlejuice,<\/em> Home Alone<\/em>, Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em> and Best in Show<\/em>, O\u2019Hara made it clear that she always put motherhood first.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m with my family as much as I can be,\u201d she told 519 Magazine<\/em> in 2019. \u201cIn deciding what work I might get involved in for my whole working life, my family\u2019s always come first. I have two sons, and when they were babies, I thought, \u2018What\u2019s the point?\u2019 What\u2019s the point in having children if I\u2019m not going to be with them, so that was always number one consideration and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep scrolling to learn more about O\u2019Hara\u2019s thoughts on being a mom, as well as the insight she shared about her beloved family.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI really didn\u2019t work much,\u201d O\u2019Hara said during an October 2024 appearance on Julia Lois-Dreyfus<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cWiser Than Me\u201d podcast. \u201cAnd I\u2019d work in town. I remember the first offer I got to work, they were both\u2026probably about 5 and 8, maybe 6 and 9. And I got offered a job in London.\u201d<\/p>\n She continued, \u201cAnd it was a six-week job, and we had a great nanny at the time. She wasn\u2019t live-in, but she was great, great, great girl. She came for two weeks. I was alone for two weeks. They came back for two weeks, you know, got them out of school whatever. So I thought, you\u2019ve always heard that with relationships, with couples, two weeks is the limit. It shouldn\u2019t go longer than that apart, unless it works for both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m with my family as much as I can be,\u201d the late actress told 519 Magazine<\/em> in 2019. \u201cIn deciding what work I might get involved in for my whole working life, my family\u2019s always come first. I have two sons, and when they were babies, I thought, \u2018What\u2019s the point?\u2019 What\u2019s the point in having children if I\u2019m not going to be with them, so that was always number one consideration and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n In a previous TMZ clip<\/em> that went viral shortly after news broke of Ohara\u2019s death, the actress said the role she most wanted to be remembered for was the role of \u201cmother.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTo my children,\u201d she added, before adding that an \u201cacting role\u201d she most wants to be remembered for is the role of \u201chis wife,\u201d referring to her husband, Bo Welch.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kidding,\u201d O\u2019Hara joked of her husband.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to say, we all make each other laugh,\u201d O\u2019Hara told the Toronto Star<\/em> in 2007 of life with her sons, Matthew and Luke.<\/p>\n
\n Catherine O\u2019Hara<\/span> Frederic J. Brown\/AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHer Limit for Working Away From Her Children<\/h2>\n
The Point of Having Children<\/h2>\n
Her Most Important Role of All<\/h2>\n
The Existence of Laughter In the Home<\/h2>\n