We have tragic news to report out of Hollywood today:
Catherine O’Hara — the beloved comic actress who won laughs with her roles in Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek — has passed away.
She was 71 years old.
News of her passing comes courtesy of TMZ, who reports that two sources with “direct knowledge” of the situation have confirmed that O’Hara passed away on Friday.
Her cause of death is unknown at this time.
In addition to her roles in the Home Alone franchise and the beloved sitcom Schitt’s Creek, the Emmy winner racked up dozens of film and television credits over the course of more than 50 years in the industry.
After getting her start on the groundbreaking sketch show Second City Television, O’Hara starred in such acclaimed films as After Hours, Beetlejuice, and Christopher Guest-directed mockumentary comedies like Best In Show and A Mighty Wind.
In 2020, O’Hara won an Emmy for her work on Schitt’s Creek.
In her acceptance speech, she thanked the show’s creators — father-and-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy — for “the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be her ridiculous self.”
In her later years, O’Hara remained busy, with roles in the HBO drama The Last of Us and the Apple TV+ comedy The Studio.
She received Emmy nominations for both, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for The Studio.
O’Hara did not attend the 2026 Golden Globes ceremony, but the cause of her absence is unknown.
Across social media today, friends, family, and a legion of fans are all paying tribute to this one-of-a-kind talent:
“Hard to think of an actress who was as consistently funny or made a greater impression on both my childhood and adult life than Catherine O’Hara. Another great one gone. RIP,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
“Devastated. Gutted. Never met her but this feels like a personal loss. As great as any comedic performer of my lifetime. Rest In Peace, Catherine O’Hara,” another added.
“Catherine O’Hara was an absolute treasure and I loved all her roles,” a third remarked.
The actress is survived by her husband of 34 years, Bo Welch, and their two children.
This is a breaking story, and we will have further updates as new information becomes available.
Our thoughts are with Catherine O’Hara’s loved ones as they begin their mourning process.