Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian American award-winning actress known for roles in “Home Alone,” “Beetlejuice” and “Schitt’s Creek,” passed away on Jan. 30 at age 71 in her Brentwood home. She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and their two children, Luke and Matthew.
No cause of death has been confirmed, but a dispatch audio from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported that she had “breathing difficulty” and was immediately rushed to the hospital around 5 a.m. The actress was noted to be in serious condition and was pronounced dead hours later by her representative.
Before her death, she was diagnosed with dextrocardia situs inversus — a rare congenital medical condition where the heart lies on the right side of the chest, rather than the left.
Dextrocardia alone is not dangerous but can pose a threat when combined with other health conditions, according to John Hopkins Medicine. O’Hara mentioned in a 2021 interview that she discovered this defect in her 40s during a routine chest X-ray and EKG.
“My heart is on the right side, and all my organs are flipped,” O’Hara said.
The actress made her film debut in the 1980s, starring as Judith in the thriller “Double Negative” (1980), also known as “Deadly Companion.” She worked alongside icons in the industry like John Candy, who would later appear beside her ten years later in “Home Alone” (1990).
In 1988, O’Hara played the peculiar, yet comical character of Delia Deetz in the Halloween film, “Beetlejuice.” The film quickly became a seasonal favorite of many, appearing on FreeForm’s “31 Nights of Halloween” series (formerly ABC Family) as early as the 2010s.
Co-stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder teamed up with O’Hara again in 2024 to release “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” — a sequel grossing over $452 million worldwide.
Two years later, in 1990, she landed the role of a lifetime: Kate McCallister in “Home Alone.” Mother of the mischievous Kevin McCallister (McCaulay Culkin), O’Hara is remembered for her resounding reactions to continuously leaving her son at home on Christmas. In 1992, she returned to film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” another classic starring McCulkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard and Tim Curry.
Even after three decades since the release of the Christmas standard, O’Hara and Culkin always stayed in close contact. Back in 2023, Culkin was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and O’Hara prepared a speech for her on-screen son.
“Thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice, to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you,” O’Hara said. “You made acting look like the most natural thing in the world to do.”
Culkin took to Instagram the day of her passing to commemorate her legacy, displaying current and flashback images.
“Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later,” Culkin said.
O’Hara continued acting later in her career on the sitcom “Schitt’s Creek.” In the six-season series, the Rose family goes from wealthy to impoverished in a flash — causing quite the culture shock. Her outstanding performance as Moira landed her a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice.
