Catherine O’Hara, the beloved star of Schitt’s Creek, passed away on Friday at the age of 71. People Magazine confirmed the news through the actor’s representatives. No further details about her passing were shared. The BBC quoted a statement from Creative Artists Agency that she had passed away at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
O’Hara’s career began with Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, where she earned her first Emmy award. Her second came decades later when she won for her role as the fabulous Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek. She also starred in Home Alone in the early 90s opposite a young Macaulay Culkin and Beetlejuice in 1988 with Michael Keaton.
After Schitt’s Creek, O’Hara acted in HBO’s The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as well as Apple TV’s The Studio with Seth Rogen. Born in Toronto, Canada in 1954, she was the second youngest of seven children. In 1992, she married Bo Welch, with whom she has two sons, Mathew and Luke. Welch worked as a production designer on Beetlejuice.
Cover photo via AFP