Sad news has hit just before the weekend, as TMZ reports that Catherine O’Hara has passed away at the age of 71 after a brief, unknown illness.
O’Hara is likely best known for her performances in Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Beetlejuice, and the hit series, Schitt’s Creek. Many of us just saw her speaking about her friend and fellow Canadian, John Candy, in the powerful documentary John Candy: I Like Me.
O’Hara got into show business early, breaking through as part of the Second City comedy troupe. She was also part of the sketch comedy series, SCTV, earning an Emmy award for her writing.
But it was an actress where O’Hara really made her mark, becoming a beloved matriarchal figure on the big screen. She was a constant figure in Christopher Guest’s mockumentary comedies, appearing in Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, and For Your Consideration. Most recently, O’Hara voiced the character Pinktail in the beloved DreamWorks film The Wild Robot, returned for sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and appeared in episodes of HBO’s The Last of Us and Apple series The Studio.
We offer our condolences to Catherine O’Hara’s friends and family for their loss.
