Catherine O'Hara has died age 71

30 January 2026, 18:46 | Updated: 30 January 2026, 20:31

By Sam Prance

Catherine O'Hara, who is best known for her work in Home Alone, Beetlejuice and Schitt's Creek, has passed away.

Legendary actress Catherine O'Hara has passed away at the age of 71.

On Friday 30th January, TMZ reported that the Emmy Award winning star had died. The news was later confirmed by Deadline who reported that Catherine died in her home in LA after a "brief illness".

In the wake of the heartbreaking news, tributes to Catherine O'Hara, who is best known for her work in films like Home Alone and series like Schitt's Creek, have flooded social media.

Iconic doesn't even begin to describe Catherine O'Hara's career as an actress. Over the course of 50 years, she won over the hearts of millions with her unforgettable performances.

Catherine first rose to fame playing Marna Wallbacker in the Canadian sitcom Coming Up Rosie in the 1970s. She then went on to have an extensive film career in classic films like Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988) as well as Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2 (1992).

In 2024, Catherine also reprised the role of Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

In more recent years, Catherine had become a mainstay on television thanks to her portrayal of the incomparable Moira Rose in Schitt's Creek. She played Gail Lynden in The Last of Us season 2, and was just about to return to filming of season 2 of The Studio.

She'd recently just picked up Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her performance on the show.

Catherine is survived by her husband, production designer, Bo Welch and her two children.

Our thoughts go out to Catherine O'Hara's friends and family at this time. Rest in peace.