Catherine O’Hara, Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek star, has passed away at the age of 71 on January 30, 2026. Her representative had previously stated that she died following a brief illness. Now, more information has come up about her health struggles that she was facing in private for some time.
Recent reports from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health state that her illness is the result of pulmonary embolism. PEOPLE has obtained the death certificate, which states that the fatal embolism happened due to rectal cancer. The document also reveals that she has been cremated.
O’Hara had kept her diagnosis mostly private. She kept working on high-profile projects while receiving treatment. O’Hara’s journey began in Toronto, where she honed her comedic instincts at the famed Second City theatre before becoming a breakout star on Second City Television (SCTV). Alongside fellow comedy greats like Eugene Levy and John Candy, she helped define an era of sharp, character-driven sketch comedy that earned international acclaim.
Her transition to Hollywood brought two of her most iconic roles. In Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988), she played the eccentric Delia Deetz, while her role as Kevin McCallister’s frantic mother in Home Alone (1990) cemented her place in pop culture history. Her anguished cry of “Kevin!” remains one of cinema’s most memorable moments.
Tributes had poured in from across the entertainment world. Macaulay Culkin remembered her with deep affection, while collaborators like Christopher Guest, Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow hailed her as a once-in-a-generation comic talent. They referred to her as hilarious, generous and deeply kind.
O’Hara continued working until shortly before her death. She appeared in HBO’s The Last of Us and Seth Rogen’s The Studio. She is survived by her husband Bo Welch, their two sons and her extended family.
Also Read: Catherine O’Hara Dies at 71
By
