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

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning Canadian actress best known for her iconic roles in Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, has died at the age of 71.

Her manager confirmed the news on Friday, saying she passed away at her Los Angeles home after a brief illness.

The acclaimed performer first rose to fame as a member of the influential sketch troupe Second City Television in the 1970s before becoming a beloved face in film and television.

Audiences around the world knew her as the delightfully eccentric Moira Rose in the hit comedy Schitt’s Creek, a role that won her an Emmy Award and helped the show dominate awards seasons.

O’Hara’s film work was equally memorable.

She brought warmth and wit to the role of Kevin McCallister’s mother in the Home Alone films, and earlier in her career, she portrayed the unforgettable Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.

Her collaborations with director Christopher Guest on mockumentary comedies like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind further cemented her reputation as a versatile comic actress.

The Canadian-born star began her career in improvisational comedy in Toronto, where she crossed paths with fellow performers who would also become legends in comedy. Her early work on SCTV earned her critical praise and laid the foundation for a long and varied career that spanned five decades.

Reflecting her broad appeal, O’Hara also appeared in contemporary television, including roles that garnered Emmy nominations for dramatic and comedic performances in recent years.

A statement from her family acknowledged the depth of her impact on both colleagues and audiences, noting her unique blend of humour and humanity.

Tributes poured in from co-stars and fans around the world, highlighting her generosity, sharp wit and the joy she brought to her roles.

“Mama, I thought we had time. I wanted more ... I had so much more to say. I love you, I’ll see you later,” wrote Macaulay Culkin, who played her son in Home Alone, in a touching tribute posted on social media.

In 2020, O’Hara won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Schitt’s Creek, a role that brought her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well.

At the time, she said, “I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be herself.”

She is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, whom she met on the set of Beetlejuice, and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.

With AAP