Catherine O’Hara Dies: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ & ‘Home Alone’ Favorite Was 71

Catherine O’Hara, star of Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and the recent Emmy hit The Studio, has died at 71.

O’Hara’s death was confirmed by TMZ, although no cause of death was given at this time. She’s been largely absent in recent months despite The Studio‘s awards success in late 2025 and early 2026; she was last seen at the Emmys in September 2025. As mentioned above, O’Hara was best known for her roles in shows like Schitt’s Creek, the Home Alone films in which she played Macaulay Culkin‘s mother, and most recently, The Studio.

She also appeared in Season 2 of HBO‘s hit series The Last of Us in early 2025, playing opposite Pedro Pascal for several pivotal scenes in the post-apocalyptic drama.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Catherine O’Hara grew up in a large family and attended school at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute. After graduating, she began performing with The Second City in 1974, which kick-started her legendary career in comedy. During her time with the troupe, she served as an understudy to Gilda Radner until she joined Saturday Night Live, clearing the path for O’Hara to make her debut as part of the SCTV cast in 1976.

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Along with being a regular performer on Second City TV, O’Hara also served as a writer, playing a number of memorable characters like Lola Heatherton. O’Hara also lent her vocals to cartoons and eventually broke into film. Fans will recall her memorable performance in Tim Burton‘s 1988 classic Beetlejuice, a role which she reprised in 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

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She also featured in a number of comedies directed by Christopher Guest, including Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration, in which she starred alongside frequent collaborator Eugene Levy, among others. Some fans will fondly remember her as the voice behind Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and she also voiced characters in Chicken Little, Over the Hedge, and Frankenweenie.

Her storied career will certainly bring to mind Moira Rose, the wig-wearing and delightfully over-dramatic matriarch from Schitt’s Creek, in which she starred alongside Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy. O’Hara earned the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Moira in 2020.

O’Hara’s last onscreen role was in Apple TV’s Emmy-winning hit The Studio, in which she played Patty Leigh, a formidable force in the electric comedy. It’s unclear if O’Hara was able to film anything for The Studio‘s second season, which started production in 2026.

O’Hara leaves behind her husband Bo Welch, a production designer she married in 1992, along with their two sons.