Catherine O’Hara, the award-winning actor best known for her roles in Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, has died at the age of 71. She passed away on Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness, her agency CAA confirmed.
Tributes have come from the worlds of entertainment and politics, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney leading the condolences. “Canada has lost a legend,” Carney said, praising O’Hara’s five-decade career in comedy.
Schitt’s Creek co-creator Dan Levy said he would “cherish every funny memory” and called her “one of the greatest comic talents”. His father, Eugene Levy, who worked with O’Hara for more than 50 years, added: “Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today.”
Michael Keaton, her co-star in the Beetlejuice films, described her as “my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend”. Alec Baldwin said she was “one of the greatest comic talents in the movie business”, while Seth Rogen called her death “devastating”.
O’Hara is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and their two sons, Matthew and Luke. Her family has announced a private celebration of her life.
