Fans are paying tribute to ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Home Alone’ star Catherine O’Hara following news of the beloved comedian’s death at 71 years old.
O’Hara’s manager confirmed the Canadian-American actress’s death to PEOPLE on January 30, 2026. No further details, including the cause of death, have been reported at the time of writing.
Some of her most iconic roles include playing Kevin’s (Macaulay Culkin) mother in the Home Alone movies, Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice.
While O’Hara’s is best known for her films, she actually began her career in sketch comedy and television in the late 70s before stepping on the big screen in the mid-80s.
Fans pay tribute to comedy legend Catherine O’Hara
O’Hara earned a bevy of accolades during her lifetime, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The actress was born in Toronto on March 4, 1954 and held both Canadian and United States citizenship. In a 2021 interview, she revealed that she was born with situs inversus, a genetic condition where the internal organs in the chest and abdomen are on the opposite side of the body, as opposed to a regular person’s.
She died at 71 years old. Fans have taken to social media to praise her work in TV and film, reminiscing on her classic roles in their favorite movies.
“The world just lost a national treasure,” one user wrote on X.
“We’ve lost another absolute icon. What a talent. What a legend. And to watch her have such an amazing comeback and style resurgence was such a delight,” another said.
“Rest in peace to an absolute icon. Catherine O’Hara, you will be so missed. I am so sad,” another mourned.
Macaulay Culkin & Pedro Pascal speak out after Catherine O’Hara’s death
O’Hara’s Home Alone costar, Macaulay Culkin, paid a tear-jerking tribute to his on-screen mom on Instagram.
“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,” he wrote.
Pedro Pascal, who starred alongside O’Hara in HBO’s The Last of Us, also shared a message about his time the actress on social media.
“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. Always. The one and ONLY #CatherineOHara,” he penned.
Developers say AI coding tools work—and that's precisely what worries them