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Catherine O'Hara, Home Alone & Schitt's Creek Star, Dead at 71
Catherine O’Hara will always loom large in Seth Rogen’s mind.
After The Studio actress died on Jan. 30 at the age of 71, her former costar shared a sweet tribute to his fellow Canadian comedian, remembering what an honor it was to work with her on the award-winning TV show.
“Really don’t know what to say,” Seth wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the two. “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.”
The 43-year-old noted that it was Home Alone that “made me want to make movies.”
“Getting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous,” Seth continued. “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.”
The duo’s fellow Studio costar Ron Howard—who also directed Catherine in 1994’s The Paper—had his own tribute for the late actress, writing on X Jan. 30, “This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator.”
“I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her,” he added, “and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year. My heart goes out to Bo & family.”
Eric Charbonneau/Apple TV+ via Getty Images
Catherine’s role on The Studio was one of many iconic roles she took on during her long and varied career, including Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice, Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cookie Fleck in Best in Show and her Emmy Award-winning run as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek.
And while she was initially afraid the role of Moira might run into her portrayal of former studio executive Patty Leigh on The Studio, she quickly found a new way to embody her.
“I was nervous about not being able to come up with another character,” she admitted to Vanity Fair in April. “I was afraid I was not going to be able to lose it, that I would naturally go into that voice.”
“But no,” Catherine added. “I’ve lost it. I’ve definitely lost it.”.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
Still, creating characters and tapping into her natural comedic abilities was easy for the Mighty Wind star, who credits her family for helping nurture her comical sensibilities.
“I think everyone’s born funny,” Catherine explained during a conversation with frequent costar John Michael Higgins at the 2023 USC Comedy Festival. “But you either are fortunate enough to have it encouraged, or you have life beat it out of you, unfortunately. I was very fortunate to grow up in a fun family.”
And it wasn’t just her family’s support Catherine—who shared kids Matthew Welch, 32, and Luke Welch, 28, with husband Bo Welch—was grateful for, but that of everyone she’d had the opportunity to work with.
“If you can work with good, smart, funny people who lift each other up,” she added, “that’s the best.”
For more loving tributes to Catherine from those who knew her best, keep reading.
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."
Lisa OConnor/AFF-USA/Shutterstock
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."
Araya Diaz/WireImage
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."
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
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."
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank
Andy Cohen
"Catherine O’Hara. The absolute greatest. Only 71. An angel. The funniest. This is shocking."
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."
Antonelli/AGF/Shutterstock
Justin Theroux
"Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed."
Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Elizabeth Banks
"She was an all-timer. Her memory and work is a blessing. Rest peacefully."
FD Press/SIPA/Shutterstock
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
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."
Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Olivia Munn
"Absolutely heartbreaking. She was the kindest person in our business."
Emma McIntyre/Oscars/Getty Images
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."
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Jamie Lee Curtis
"BEST OF THE BEST IN SHOW!"
Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock
Candace Cameron Bure
"Legend."
Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
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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