O’Hara, remembered by her peers as a ‘wonderful person, artist and collaborator’, most recently appeared in the Emmy-winning comedy series The Studio and the HBO series The Last of Us.
Catherine O’Hara, the comedic actress who starred in the Home Alone and Beetlejuice films, as well as the Emmy-winning series Schitt’s Creek, has died at the age of 71. The Canadian actress, known for her work with the Toronto Second City improv troupe and the sketch comedy series SCTV, broke through in the US with her role in Beetlejuice (1988) and later as the mother in the family holiday classic Home Alone.
In a statement to the BBC, O’Hara’s agent said she passed away on Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
Catherine O’Hara and Home Alone!
O’Hara struck lightning twice in her acting career with unforgettable performances on screen. In the 1988 horror comedy classic Beetlejuice, she played Delia Deetz, who, alongside her possessed dinner guests, delivered an entrancing song-and-dance routine to ‘Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)’.
Two years later, in Home Alone, her hysterical scream of ‘Kevin!’ as she realised that her mischievous eight-year-old son had been left behind during their Christmas holiday became one of the most iconic moments in one of the most successful film comedies of all time.
Catherine O’Hara’s on screen son pays tribute
Her co-star Macaulay Culkin, now 45, paid a touching tribute to his on-screen mother on Friday, posting pictures of the two of them from the film and later in life, writing, ‘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.’
Awards, legacy and family
She received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2021 for her work in Schitt’s Creek and was nominated for her role in The Studio at this year’s awards. She is also nominated at the Actors Awards (formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards) in March for her performance as Patty.
O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke, as well as her siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O’Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.
Also Read: Highlander: Henry Cavill’s first look out; what we know about the remaining cast
