Catherine O’Hara Dies at 71, Acclaimed Actress Behind ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Home Alone’

The Emmy-winning Canadian-born actress died Friday morning in Los Angeles following a brief illness, according to published reports.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Legendary actress Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71, according to multiple reports confirming her death Friday morning at her home in Los Angeles.

O’Hara, a Canadian-born performer celebrated for a decades-long career spanning film and television, was best known for her roles in Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek, and a series of acclaimed mockumentary films. She won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek, a role that became one of the most recognizable performances of her career.

According to reporting by TMZ, O’Hara died after a brief illness. Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed her death to the outlet. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

“Catherine O’Hara — famous for her work in ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Home Alone,’ and ‘Best In Show’ — is dead,” TMZ reported. The outlet noted that O’Hara famously played the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s character in the first two Home Alone films and appeared in 80 episodes of Schitt’s Creek as Moira Rose.

Her film credits also included Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, as well as appearances in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the original Beetlejuice. In recent years, O’Hara appeared opposite Seth Rogen in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, earning an Emmy nomination for that performance.

News of her death was also shared publicly by TMZ in a social media post confirming she had died at 71, directing readers to additional reporting on the circumstances surrounding her passing, as seen in a post published here.

O’Hara’s death marks the loss of a widely respected actress whose work spanned comedy, satire, and mainstream film and television for more than four decades.