Canadian comedy giant Catherine O’Hara dead at 71

Canadian comedy giant Catherine O’Hara, known for over-the-top performances in “Schitt’s Creek” and “SCTV” and a memorable turn as a stressed-out mom in “Home Alone,” has died at 71.

She died at her home in Los Angeles Friday “following a brief illness,” her agency said in a written statement. Further details on her cause of death weren’t immediately available.

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She’s being remembered as a titan of her field, who used her high profile to uplift Canada along with her.

“It is a very sad day for comedy and for Canada. She was one of the greatest comedy artists in history, an inspiration for millions and above all a very elegant lady,” comedian Mike Myers said in a written statement.

O’Hara got her start at Second City Toronto, working as a waitress, before joining the sketch comedy troupe’s cast and later its television adaptation.

She earned an Emmy in 1982 for her writing on “SCTV Network,” and landed her second Emmy statuette nearly 40 years later for her role as outlandish matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek,” as well as a Golden Globe for that role in 2021.

She also received numerous Canadian Screen Awards for the scene-stealing portrayal of the egomaniacal fashionista, one of many onscreen collaborations with fellow “SCTV” alum Eugene Levy.

The duo had previously teamed up for the 2006 jab at Hollywood awards culture “For Your Consideration,” co-written by Levy and Christopher Guest, and directed by Guest.

She starred as Marilyn Hack, a fading B-list actress who becomes obsessed with the prospect of winning an Oscar. At the time, O’Hara said she preferred to keep out of the awards race.

“I don’t want to get caught taking it seriously. It’s too sad. It’s too sad,” she said. ”You get embarrassed even talking about it.”

Though she may not have participated in self-aggrandizing campaigns, she was nominated for 10 Emmys over the course of her career.

That includes two last year — one for guest actress in a drama for an appearance on “The Last of Us” and one for supporting actress in a comedy for her role in Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” for which she also received a Golden Globe nomination.

She acted alongside Sarah Polley in that series, who wrote on Instagram that she was lucky to have had the chance to spend time with O’Hara.

“She was the kindest and the classiest. How could she also have been the funniest person in the world? And she was at the very top of her game,” Polley wrote. “There won’t be another like her.”

She received the Order of Canada in 2018 and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards lifetime achievement award in 2021.

She was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2007, displaying trademark humility.

“‘I’m a proud Canadian, and more than a little embarrassed about all this attention turned my way,” she said. ”And as a proud Canadian I’ll say: ‘Sorry, eh? Sorry for taking up so much of your time.”’

O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch — a production designer she met on the set of “Beetlejuice” in 1987 — and two adult sons, Matthew and Luke.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.