Award-winning Canadian actress, Catherine O’Hara, passed away on 30 January at a Los Angeles hospital, aged 71, according to her United States death certificate.
The certificate revealed that O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as the long-term cause of death. She had been receiving treatment for the cancer since March 2025.
Tributes have poured in for the beloved actress, who recently appeared in the Emmy-winning comedy The Studio and The Last of Us.
O’Hara Remembered
Actor and The Studio creator Seth Rogen said he was devastated by O’Hara’s death, describing the actress as “hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous”. “We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it,” he added.
Actor Pedro Pascal, who worked with O’Hara on The Last of Us, wrote on Instagram: “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.”
O’Hara starred in six seasons of the comedy series Schitt’s Creek, earning an Emmy for Best Comedy Actress. Show creator and co-star Eugene Levy told People magazine that he had the “honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years”. “Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today,” he said.
Co-creator Dan Levy, who played O’Hara’s son David, described her as “family before she ever played my family”. He added on Instagram that he would “cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her”.
O’Hara’s on-screen son in the holiday classics Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Macaulay Culkin, also paid an emotional tribute on Instagram. “Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you,” he wrote. “I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
She is survived by her husband Bo Welch, her sons Matthew and Luke, and her six siblings.
What is a Pulmonary Embolism?
According to the NHS, a pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood vessel in the lungs is blocked by a blood clot. Symptoms include sudden difficulty in breathing, chest pain that increases when breathing, and coughing up blood.
