Catherine O’Hara’s Official Cause of Death Confirmed
Catherine O'Hara's official cause of death has been determined.
The actress, known for Schitt's Creek and Home Alone, died at the age of 71 on Friday, January 30. Her representatives confirmed at the time that she'd died "after a brief illness" but didn't provide details.
On Monday, February 9, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed O'Hara died from a pulmonary embolism. Rectal cancer was listed as the underlying cause, according to a death certificate obtained.
She'd been privately battling cancer and the public didn't know.
The death certificate also reveals that O'Hara was cremated. TMZ first reported the news about her cause of death.
Her Career
Catherine O'Hara was born in Toronto in 1954 as the second youngest of seven children. Her father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway, her mother was a real estate agent. Her first acting gig was playing the Virgin Mary in a Nativity play. After high school, she got a job as a waitress at the Second City Theater in Toronto, where she soon became a cast member of the theatre troupe.
In 1996, she appeared in her first Christopher Guest mockumentary, Waiting for Guffman. She'd go on to also appear in Guest's film Best in Show in 2000 and A Mighty Wind in 2003, where she and Eugene Levy sang together. PEOPLE called her the "gifted queen of the bittersweet" in a review of For Your Consideration in 2006, another Guest collaboration.
In 2015, she teamed up with Levy again for Schitt's Creek, created by his son Dan. It wasn't the first time she and Levy played characters who were romantically involved. Of their long working relationship, she said, "I would love to think we continue to challenge each other, like a good married couple would do."
The Emmy Win
In 2020, she won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Schitt's Creek. "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 said during her speech.
She also won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for the series.
Other TV roles included guest spots on Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock. She got an Emmy nomination for her performance in the 2010 TV film Temple Grandin. She also voiced characters in Frankenweenie, The Addams Family, and Elemental. In 2024, she appeared in the action film Argylle and season two of The Last of Us. And let’s not forget her memorable performance as Delia Deetz in the infamous Beetlejuice.
What She Left Behind
O'Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch and their two sons.
Catherine O'Hara spent decades making people laugh. She won every major award for Schitt's Creek. She worked with Eugene Levy for years across multiple projects. She was still working until 2024. And she was privately dealing with cancer the whole time.
She died on January 30 and the cause of her death was confirmed on February 9. Rectal cancer caused a pulmonary embolism. Even after her private battle with the illness, her legacy will live on forever.
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