Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer as an underlying condition, according to her death certificate. The actress passed away on January 30, 2026, at her Los Angeles home following a brief illness. Her career highlights include iconic roles in films like Beetlejuice and the TV series Schitt’s Creek.
Catherine O’Hara, the acclaimed Canadian actress known for her versatile performances over more than five decades, died on Friday, January 30, 2026, at her Los Angeles residence. Paramedics responded to her home at 4:48 a.m. that day after she was hospitalized early in the morning due to an illness, as reported by Page Six. Her agency, CAA, confirmed the passing resulted from a brief illness.
TMZ obtained O’Hara’s death certificate on Monday, February 9, 2026, which specified the cause as a pulmonary embolism, compounded by rectal cancer. O’Hara began her career on the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, earning her first Emmy Award for writing. She gained prominence in Hollywood with her role as Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s 1988 horror-comedy Beetlejuice, opposite Winona Ryder, and reprised the character in the 2024 sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Other notable film roles included Kate McCallister, the mother in the Home Alone series alongside Macaulay Culkin, with whom she maintained a close relationship. Culkin honored her memory on social media, writing: “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.” She also voiced Sally in Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and appeared in his Frankenweenie.
O’Hara experienced a career revival with Schitt’s Creek, portraying the eccentric Moira Rose alongside Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, and Annie Murphy. For this role, she won an Emmy in 2020 and received two additional nominations. Recent work included appearances in The Last of Us and The Studio, earning her two Emmy nominations in 2025.
