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…
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.”
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 23:30
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.”
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 22:58
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.”
Caitlin Hornik30 January 2026 22:15
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.”
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 22:09
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.”
Kevin Perry30 January 2026 22:03
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.”
Caitlin Hornik30 January 2026 21:54
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.
Caitlin Hornik30 January 2026 21:46
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.
Caitlin Hornik30 January 2026 21:41
O’Hara’s most iconic ‘Schitt’s Creek’ moments
Catherine O’Hara’s most iconic Schitt’s Creek moments as beloved Moira Rose
Catherine O’Hara’s iconic moments as beloved Schitt’s Creek character Moira Rose are being celebrated following her death aged 71. The Emmy Award-winning Canadian actor died Friday (30 January) in Los Angeles following a brief illness, her manager told Variety. A cause of death has not been reported. O’Hara’s comedic genius was behind some of the sitcom’s most iconic moments. From “fold the cheese” to her brilliant costume at David’s wedding, here are some of her most beloved scenes as the matriarch.
Caitlin Hornik30 January 2026 21:32