Home Alone And Schitt's Creek Star Catherine O'Hara Dead At 71

TMZ is reporting that Catherine O'Hara, star of "Schitt's Creek," "Home Alone," and "Best in Show," has died at the age of 71. No cause of death was provided along with the breaking news.

O'Hara was, in case you're somehow unaware of her work, a comedy titan. After playing Macauley Culkin's forgetful mom in "Home Alone," O'Hara regularly worked with writer-director Christopher Guest on largely improvised films like "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," and "For Your Consideration." From 2015 to 2020, O'Hara played the lead role of Moira Rose on "Schitt's Creek," which won her her first-ever Emmy in 2021 as the series swept the comedy categories at the awards ceremony.

Most recently, O'Hara played studio executive Patty Leigh on the Apple TV hit "The Studio" and therapist Gail Lynden on the second season of HBO's dystopian series "The Last of Us." 

Raised in Toronto, Canada, Catherine O'Hara got her start in comedy thanks to opportunities with the legendary group The Second City's Northern chapter and ultimately made it onto "SCTV," a televised sketch comedy series that cast members of the famed troupe. Along with Martin Short and Eugene Levy, O'Hara made a name for herself on the cult classic series and was ultimately even briefly a part of "Saturday Night Live." 

Throughout the 1990s, Catherine O'Hara appeared in movies like "After Hours," "Heartburn" with Meryl Streep, and, of course, Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice," where she plays Delia Deetz (a role she reprised in the legacy sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"). Fans of "Schitt's Creek" will fondly remember her amazing, inspired pronunciations of words like "baby," fans of "Best in Show" will remember her for playing the iconic Cookie Fleck (née Gugglemen, as her former lovers continuously point out).

O'Hara will be fondly remembered by fans around the world for her comedic performances, including that recent turn on "The Studio" as Patty Leigh. We here at Looper will mourn her passing.