Catherine O'Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles including Kevin's beleaguered mother in Home Alone and the iconic Moira Rose in Schitt's Creek, has died aged 71.
The Canadian-born O'Hara died at her home in Los Angeles on Friday, local time, "following a brief illness", according to a statement from her agency, Creative Artists Agency.
Further details were not immediately available.
The news of her death prompted an outpouring of tributes led by her Home Alone co-star Macaulay Culkin, the on-screen son of O'Hara's Kate McCallister.
"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 wrote alongside images of the two of them.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was also among the many mourning her loss.
"I join Canadians and fans across the world in mourning the loss of Catherine O'Hara," Carney wrote on X.
His predecessor as prime minister, Justin Trudeau, called her "a beloved Canadian icon with a rare gift for comedy and heart" on X.
"She made people laugh across generations," he added.
O'Hara's career was launched at The Second City in Toronto in the in 1970s.
It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator — and her Schitt's Creek co-star.
The two would be among the original cast of the sketch show SCTV, which would help launch the careers of other top Canadian comedians such as Martin Short and Andrea Martin.
In 1988, O'Hara played Delia Deetz in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, the stepmother of Winona Ryder's Lydia. She reprised her role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
Her co-star, Michael Keaton, noted in his tribute that "we go back before" the 1988 film.
"She's been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend," he wrote.
O'Hara's dramatic turn in HBO's The Last of Us earned her an Emmy nomination, as did her recent role as a Hollywood producer in The Studio.
Pedro Pascal, O'Hara's co-star in the post-apocalyptic thriller, said "There is less light in my world", in a post on Instagram.
She had previously won for Schitt's Creek — which also earned her a Golden Globe and numerous other awards — and as a writer for SCTV.
She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.
ABC with wires
