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“Saturday Night Live” paid tribute to Catherine O’Hara after her tragic death at age 71.
The sketch comedy show flashed a tribute card of O’Hara on the screen before the curtain call at the end of Saturday’s episode hosted by Alexander Skarsgård.
The card featured an old photo of the beloved actress and her name.
The NBC series also posted a picture of the tribute on X, writing, “Catherine O’Hara” with a heart emoji.
O’Hara died Friday at her home in Los Angeles after “a brief illness,” Creative Artists Agency confirmed to Page Six.
The “Schitt’s Creek” alum experienced “breathing difficulty” and was rushed to the hospital in “serious” condition before passing away hours later, according to 911 dispatch audio.
O’Hara was never an official cast member on “SNL” — but she did come close.
In 2024, she recalled being cast on the sixth season of the show in 1981, but she quit after a week due to the success of her Canadian sketch comedy series “Second City Television.”
“Our producer would get a deal with a network, and we’d have a show for a season or two, and then that deal would go away. There’d be a break, then we’d do the show again,” she told People. “I got asked to be on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ And of course I said yes. Who doesn’t want to do that?”
But when “SCTV” was picked up for another season, O’Hara told “SNL” producers, “Oh, sorry, I gotta go be with my [comedy] family.”
“Yeah, not cool to take a job and leave it,” she added to People. “You know what I mean?”
O’Hara starred on “SCTV” from 1976 to 1984, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1982. Her co-stars included John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Robin Duke, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty and Andrea Martin.
The “Beetlejuice” actress eventually hosted “SNL” two times, first in April 1991 with R.E.M and again in October 1992 with musical guest 10,000 Maniacs.
Since O’Hara’s death, tributes from past co-stars like “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin and the “Schitt’s Creek” cast have been pouring in on social media.
O’Hara made her final public appearance at Apple TV+’s Primetime Emmy Party at a restaurant in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. She was nominated at the award show for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in “The Studio.”
The late star is survived by her husband Bo Welch, 74, and their two sons, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 29.
English (US)