Home Alone and Schitt's Creek star Catherine O'Hara dies, aged 71

30 January 2026, 18:35 | Updated: 30 January 2026, 18:42

Legendary actor Catherine O'Hara has reportedly passed away at the age of 71.

The Canadian star's death was first reported by TMZ, with her manager also confirming to People.

The comedy icon was best known for her roles in films like Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Best in Show, and more recently in TV shows like Schitt's Creek.

Catherine O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, and was the second youngest of seven children. Her father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and her mother was a real estate agent.

She first came to prominence as part of Canada’s legendary sketch troupe SCTV, where her ability to disappear into wildly different characters marked her out as something special.

That versatility carried effortlessly into film, particularly through her long-running creative partnership with director Christopher Guest, delivering exquisitely observed performances in Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

For many, though, O’Hara will always be synonymous with film comedy classics. As the frazzled but fiercely loving mother in Home Alone and Home Alone 2, she brought genuine emotion to a family blockbuster.

Later roles, from Beetlejuice to voice work across animation, only expanded her reach. In recent years, she found a new generation of admirers as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek — a performance that became instantly iconic.

With her operatic vowels, towering wigs and unexpected vulnerability, O’Hara turned Moira into one of TV's most memorable characters, earning widespread acclaim and an Emmy win.

O’Hara was married to Bo Welch since 1992, a production designer and director known for his work on films such as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

They had two sons together: Matthew Welch (born 1994) and Luke Welch (born 1997).