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Catherine O'Hara Battled "Brief Illness" Before Her Death, Agency Confirms
Catherine O'Hara was simply the best.
After the Schitt's Creek star's death at the age of 71, her costar Dan Levy detailed his bond with the beloved actress, who played his character David's mom Moira Rose.
"What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years," the 42-year-old shared in their Instagram post Jan. 30. "I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her."
Dan—who co-created Schitt's Creek—also reflected on her longstanding connection to his family, sharing what she meant to him and dad Eugene Levy both on and off-screen.
"Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family," he continued. "It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it."
Indeed, Catherine met Eugene in the 1972, when her brother's girlfriend Gilda Radner—an original Saturday Night Live cast member—got her tickets to a Broadway show.
"I was in high school and you were in Godspell," she recalled to Eugene on The Ellen Show in 2020. "We got to hang out with the cast afterward at the restaurant. It was the most thrilling thing."
But aside from her fan encounter, Catherine later got to know Eugene personally when they worked together as performers in Second City theater.
The pair reunited four decades later to costar with Dan in Schitt's Creek, which ran from 2015 to 2020.
Though as Dan previously shared, Catherine was initially hesitant to play the eccentric mom of two.
"She had done the presentation pilot," he told Variety in 2020, adding how dad Eugene came into play. "When the show got picked up, we had to go back to her and ask. She was really reluctant—justifiably so. It was a big unknown, and television is a commitment. My dad called me and said, 'I don’t think she’s going to do it.'"
However, he didn't give up that easy.
Rich Fury/Getty Images
"I took that philosophy, and went to my dad and said, 'You have to call her back one last time. And please tell her—one season. Because at the end of the day, if she does it and she hates it, then we clearly are not making a good show anyway. Just see what she says to that,'" he recalled. "Then 45 minutes later, he called me back and said she’s in."
Unique Nicole/WireImage
And once Catherine—already known for her roles in Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Best in Show and more—was in, it changed everything.
“I was nervous about not being able to come up with another character,” she told Vanity Fair in April 2025, adding of her signature voice for Moira, “I was afraid I was not going to be able to lose it, that I would naturally go into that voice. But no, I’ve lost it. I’ve definitely lost it.”
But her character was a gift that kept on giving during the course of the show's Emmy-winning six-season run.
Throughout her career, Catherine's roles involved collaborative projects—a factor she was keenly proud of.
"Why work alone if you don’t have to?" she told The New Yorker in 2019. "It’s all give and take. It’s all about listening to others and contributing."
Keep reading for more celebrities who paid tribute to Catherine after her passing...
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Michael Keaton
"We go back before the first Beetlejuice. She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her. Thinking about Beau as well."
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Macaulay Culkin
"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."
Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images
Seth Rogen
"Really don’t know what to say… I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it."
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Tim Burton
"Catherine, I love you... You were a special part of my life and after life."
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Michael Buble
"Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to cover it. Catherine O’Hara was one of a kind. A rare light in this world and her passing hits with a weight I can’t fully put into words.
She wasn’t just a legendary artist, actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest sense: brilliant, fearless, deeply original, and so full of humanity. She made the world laugh, but she also made people feel seen.
As an artist, she inspired me more than she’ll ever know. She set the bar for what it means to represent your country with excellence and grace and all without ever losing warmth or humility.
My heart is broken for her family, her loved ones, and everyone who adored her, both here in Canada and around the world.
If you’re grieving this loss, you’re not alone. We’re all holding a piece of this sadness together. Rest easy, Catherine. Thank you for everything."
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Melanie Lynskey
"So grateful I got to tell her what she meant to me- how she inspired me, shaped my sense of humour and understanding of the work we do, that she was the pinnacle of greatness to me. I’m sure every actor she met told her similar things. She did not behave as though she’d heard it a million times, she listened and accepted it with grace and wit and tremendous kindness. Thank you to @jasonreitman for inviting me to do the Film Independent LACMA reading where I got to work with my hero and witness her genius first hand. It was incredible to watch her work and be in her presence. I’ll never forget a minute of it. That day, and again on an overlapping shoot day on Away We Go, I saw her be nothing short of wonderful to every single person she encountered, from the director to the PAs. When people say someone 'iit up a room,' this is what they mean. She was radiant; it was kind of otherworldly. Her talent was singular. There’s been nobody like her before and there won’t be again. What a genius. What a beautiful person."
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Lea Thompson
"[Catherine] was the most glorious person. Kind, honest, smart, funny, and beautiful beyond words. She carried the spirit. You could feel her love of humanity in her brilliant work. And she had integrity, clarity and wisdom that made her a unique treasure. I know the greats are with her now trying to pick her wonderful brain as to how she could do it all. Here on earth or hearts are a bit broken. We needed you now more than ever. Rest in peace dear friend."
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Hammer Museum
Rita Wilson
"Catherine O’Hara - a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did. You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal."
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Andy Cohen
"Catherine O’Hara. The absolute greatest. Only 71. An angel. The funniest. This is shocking."
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Pedro Pascal
"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."
Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images
Ike Barinholtz
"I never in a million years thought I would get to work with Catherine O’Hara let alone become friends with her. So profoundly sad she’s somewhere else now So incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her. Thank you Catherine I love you."
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Justin Theroux
"Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed."
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Elizabeth Banks
"She was an all-timer. Her memory and work is a blessing. Rest peacefully."
Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Josh Gad
"I don’t understand what I’m seeing. I can’t bring myself to believe she is gone. Why is the world such a heart breaking place right now? I truly cannot process how to say goodbye to someone so full of life who seemed to just be hitting her prime. Goodbye legend. Thank you for making us laugh until we hurt… which is why right now we are all hurting so damned much knowing we will never again get those laughs. RIP. My love and deepest condolences go out to her entire family."
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Ellen DeGeneres
"Catherine O’Hara was a brilliant comedian. Sending love to all who adored her, which might just be everyone."
Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images
Ron Howard
"This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year. My heart goes out to Bo & family."
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Olivia Munn
"Absolutely heartbreaking. She was the kindest person in our business."
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Francesca Scorsese and Martin Scorsese
"I have no words," Francesca shared, posting a photo of her dad's reaction on FaceTime. "F--king devastated. Literally in shock."
Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Amazon Studios
Sandra Bernhard
"What a terrible loss she was a class act nuanced humble a total natural she brought buckets of joy to this old planet she will be deeply missed she was an inspiration to anyone who fancies themselves humorous a masterclass every time she stepped in front of a camera."
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Jamie Lee Curtis
"BEST OF THE BEST IN SHOW!"
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Candace Cameron Bure
"Legend."
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Amy Schumer
"Ugggg legend. No one funnier."
Courtesy of We Do It Together
Sharon Stone
"Nooo my most profound condolences."
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for ASTRA Awards
Cheri Oteri
"What an inspiration. She carried a light with her comedy that you took in whenever you saw her. May perpetual light shine upon her beautiful soul."
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