Catherine O’Hara, Emmy-winning comedian of ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ dies at 71

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Catherine O’Hara has died at 71. The Emmy-winning actor was known for her roles in “Home Alone” and “Schitt’s Creek.” Her agency, CAA, announced she died Friday at her Los Angeles home after a brief illness. O’Hara was a Canadian-born actor who gained fame through Toronto’s Second City Theatre. She was also one of the creators of the sketch comedy show “SCTV.” Her career spanned decades, and she was celebrated for her comedic brilliance.

FILE – Catherine O’Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series “The Studio,” poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mom in “Home Alone” to the iconic Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” — died Friday at 71.

The Canadian-born O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness,” according to a statement from her agency, Creative Artists Agency. Further details were not immediately available.

O’Hara’s career was launched at the Second City in Toronto in the in 1970s. It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator — and her “Schitt’s Creek” costar. The two would be among the original cast of the sketch show “SCTV,” which would help launch the careers of other top Canadian comedians, like Martin Short and Andrea Martin.

O’Hara’s dramatic turn in HBO’s “The Last of Us” earned her an Emmy nomination, as did her recent role as a Hollywood producer in “The Studio.”

She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.

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Noveck reported from New York. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed reporting.

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