Legendary actress Catherine O’Hara died in January (Picture: Getty Images)
Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death has been confirmed after the Hollywood star died on January 30.
O’Hara, known for her roles in Schitt’s Creek and the two Home Alone movies, was 71 years old, her death sending shock and devastation through the industry and her adoring fanbase.
She made her final public appearance at the 2025 Emmys in September, where she walked the red carpet with a smile.
O’Hara’s most recent work saw her star opposite Seth Rogen in the hit Apple TV+ series The Studio, for which she also earned an Emmy nomination.
Now, it has been revealed that she died from a blood clot in the lungs, as stated in her death certificate, obtained by TMZ.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office lists her immediate cause of death as pulmonary embolism (a sudden blockage in a lung artery), with rectal cancer as the underlying cause.
O’Hara looked in good spirits for what would be her final public appearance on September 15, 2025, at the Emmys (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
She was cremated.
On the day that her death was announced, a spokesperson for the Beetlejuice star confirmed to Metro that she died at her home in Los Angeles.
Without divulging further details, they said she had endured a ‘brief illness’, with a private celebration of her life to follow for her family.
O’Hara is survived by her husband, American production designer Bo Welch, 74, whom she married in 1992, and their two adult children, Luke and Matthew Welch.
The Toronto-born performer was also one of seven children, leaving behind siblings Michael, Mary Margaret, Maureen, Marcus, Tom, and Patricia.
As a testament to how revered she was, A-listers soon flooded the internet with heartfelt tributes upon learning that O’Hara had died.
The beloved star died from a blood clot in her lungs (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
O’Hara played Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, starring alongside Annie Murphy and Dan and Eugene Levy (Picture: Comedy Central/THA/Shutterstock)
Among them were emotional words from child star Macaulay Culkin, who rose to fame in Home Alone (1990) and its Lost in New York sequel (1992).
O’Hara played his on-screen mother, Kate, and they maintained a close bond into his adult life, as she spoke proudly at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023 and declared, ‘I’m so proud of you.’
Taking to Instagram swiftly after the news of O’Hara’s death broke, Culkin, now 45, wrote: ‘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.’
Both Dan Levy and his father, Eugene, also expressed their sadness, with Dan, who played David Rose, her on-screen son, in Schitt’s Creek, calling it ‘a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years’.
‘Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family,’ he added in a social media post. ‘It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.’
Meanwhile, Eugene, who played the Moira Rose actress’ husband, Johnny, said in a statement: ‘Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today.
Seth Rogen paid tribute to O’Hara as he accepted an award for The Studio, her final project, over the weekend (Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DGA)
Fans and co-stars were heartbroken to learn of the Golden Globe winner’s death (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
‘I had the honour of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over 50 years… I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her.’
Schitt’s Creek ran for six seasons from 2015 to 2020 and also starred Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, and Noah Reid.
On Saturday evening at the 2026 Directors Guild of America Awards, The Studio co-star Rogen spoke publicly about working with O’Hara as he accepted the outstanding directorial achievement in a comedy series trophy.
‘Honestly, there’s no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thank Catherine O’Hara,’ Rogen said, standing beside Evan Goldberg.
‘We grew up in Canada, and she is and was quite literally our idol since we were children,’ Goldberg added.
Comedian Rogen, 43, recalled how she was both an ‘utter genius’ and still ‘the nicest person in the entire world’.
O’Hara played Kevin’s mother in both Home Alone movies (Picture: Moviestore/Shutterstock)
In a heartfelt tribute after her death, former child star Macaulay Culkin called her ‘Mama’ (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
‘It was an honour to get to direct her every day, and we worked very hard to make the show good enough to warrant her time and her presence.’
O’Hara played Patty Leigh in the award-winning comedy series. She was the former studio head and Matt’s (Rogen) mentor.
Other hugely popular roles she is remembered for include the 1986 comedy Heartburn, with co-star Meryl Streep saying after O’Hara’s death that she ‘brought love and light to our world through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed’.
‘Such a loss for her family and friends and the audience she graced as friends,’ added the Mamma Mia! icon.
Elsewhere, having starred in the second season of The Last Of Us, O’Hara was honoured by Pedro Pascal, who wrote: ‘Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always.’
With a career spanning five decades, O’Hara had a lengthy list of TV and film credits.
These included reprising Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, having starred in the first film in 1988, 2000’s Best in Show, and 2003’s A Mighty Wind.
Highly decorated, she had two Emmys to her name, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe, among numerous other accolades.
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