Prolific actor Catherine O’Hara, best known for her roles in Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek and Beetlejuice, has passed at the age of 71.
According to TMZ, which was first to report, two sources with direct knowledge reported that O’Hara was pronounced dead on Friday, January 30th, 2026, from unknown causes. Variety later confirmed that, “According to her agency CAA, O’Hara died Friday at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.”
Catherine O’Hara began her career in 1974 on the Canadian comedy show The Second City, in her hometown of Toronto. She appeared in several films, including Double Negative, Rock & Rule and After Hours, but debatably became most well known for her role as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice. She would continue this notoriety playing Kate McCallister alongside Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.
A true powerhouse of range and comedic resonance, O’Hara appeared in a variety of films and television shows, from drama to children’s animation. In recent years, she had become best known for her role as Moira Rose on the Emmy Award-winning Schitt’s Creek. When speaking of Moira in an interview with Variety in 2020, she said, “You have to work with lovely, smart, talented people who allow you to sound like an alien.”
O’Hara had also lent her voice to the Disney Speedstorm and Disney Dreamlight Valley video games as Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. In video games, she played Kaossandra in the Skylanders Academy animated series, and in season two of HBO’s The Last of Us, she portrayed Gail Lynden—this was her final role.
O’Hara was remembered fondly by everyone she worked with. In an Instagram post, Macaulay Culkin shared, “Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. 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.”
She is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke, along with siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.
