Catherine O’Hara remembered by Seth Rogen, Tim Burton and Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin as tributes pour in worldwide — latest
The Canadian star won Emmys for her work in ‘SCTV’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and was recently nominated again for ‘The Studio’
Catherine O’Hara, the award-winning actor known for roles in films and TV, including Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, has died at the age of 71.
O’Hara died Friday at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness, her manager told Variety.
The two-time Emmy winner is perhaps best known for playing Kate McCallister in the first two Home Alone films, before going on to play matriarch Moira Rose on the hit TV series Schitt’s Creek.
O’Hara most recently appeared on 10 episodes of AppleTV’s The Studio and three episodes of the HBO series The Last of Us. Her work on both shows earned her Emmy nominations — the ninth and tenth of her career.
Emotional tributes have poured in from stars mourning the loss, including her Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin and The Last of Us co-star Pedro Pascal.
“Mama. I thought we had time,” Culkin began before adding, “But I had so much more to say.”
Pascal, meanwhile, wrote: “There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always.”
Follow below for updates as tributes come in...
Ben Stiller says O'Hara was 'funniest ever': 'No one better'
In a statement on X, actor and director Ben Stiller recalled the influence that watching O’Hara from the earliest days of her career had on him.
“Catherine O’Hara. My goodness. Hard to explain the impact she had on comedy. For me, no one better,” he wrote.
“She was generational. Since SCTV she has been brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant. Funniest ever. Man. We lost a great. A true great. Sending love to Bo Welch and her family. So sad we lost her incredible presence among us. Will always look up to her. Man.“
Brooke Shields fondly recalls being spoofed by O'Hara
In her SCTV days, O’Hara portrayed Brooke Shields - and the Blue Lagoon actor enjoyed the good-natured ribbing.
“What an honor it was to be spoofed by Catherine O’Hara,” wrote Shields on X. “What an unfathomable loss. We love you, Catherine. Comedy won’t be the same without her. Sending love to Catherine’s family, friends, castmates, and fans today. Truly beloved.”
Christopher Guest says we've 'lost one of the comic giants of our age'
O’Hara did some of her best work in the comedies of Christopher Guest.
In 1996, she was part of the ensemble cast of the improvised mockumentary Waiting for Guffman.
The film, which also starred Guest, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard and Parker Posey among others, was critically acclaimed and won a cult following.
She reunited with Guest and the rest of the cast for follow-ups including Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006).
In a statement to Variety, Guest said: “I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age. I send my love to her family.”
Tim Burton says O'Hara was 'a special part of my life and after life'
O’Hara famously starred in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice in 1988, and returned for the sequel to the supernatural comedy in 2024.
On Instagram, the director wrote: “Catherine, I love you . This picture shows how much light you gave to all of us. You were a special part of my life and after life.”
Official X account of Canada mourns O'Hara
“Canada tips its hat (and an extravagant wig) to Catherine O’Hara,” the country’s official X account wrote in a tribute to the Toronto-born actor, complete with a meme from her Schitt’s Creek days.
“From Moira Rose’s dramatic diction to Delia Deetz’s chaotic chic and Kate McAllister’s iconic “KEVIN!”, her characters lit up our screens. Thanks for the magic, Catherine.”
Richard E Grant says O'Hara's death is 'an incalculable loss'
Richard E Grant recalled working with O’Hara two decades ago, writing on Instagram: “The death of my great friend Catherine O’Hara is an incalculable loss. We played a couple in PENELOPE (2006) & instantly bonded.
“She & her husband Bo were the first people we called when we were in LA, stayed with us in the Cotswolds shared dinners in London & never stopped yakking & laughing. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew & Luke.”
Seth Rogen calls O'Hara 'hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous'
Seth Rogen cast O’Hara in a mentor role in his award-winning Hollywood satire The Studio.
On Instagram, he wrote: “Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen.
“Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
Fashion designer Christian Siriano shares one of his favorite memories
Accompanied by a carousel of images showing O’Hara in various pinstriped pantsuits, Siriano wrote: “Oh Catherine dressing you in Siriano stripes was one of my favorite memories I will never forget ever. Rest well your incredible woman.”
O'Hara was recently nominated for multiple Emmy Awards
Most recently, O’Hara appeared on 10 episodes of AppleTV’s The Studio and three episodes of the hit HBO series The Last of Us. Her work on both shows earned her 2025 Emmy nominations — the ninth and tenth of her career.
Her last public appearance was at the 2025 Emmys.
Actor Lea Thompson calls O'Hara 'the most glorious person'
“I know the greats are with her now trying to pick her wonderful brain as to how she could do it all. Here on earth or hearts are a bit broken. We needed you now more than ever,” Thompson wrote in an Instagram tribute.
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