Catherine O’Hara died at the age of 71, triggering shockwaves across Hollywood.
The acclaimed actress, celebrated for her roles in Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, passed away on January 30 following what her family initially described as a "brief illness".
The publication states that documents from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, obtained by TMZ, list her immediate cause of death as pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer cited as the underlying condition. This marks the first time it has been claimed that O’Hara was battling cancer.
A pulmonary embolism is described by the Mayo Clinic as a blockage in the lungs typically caused by a blood clot that travels from the leg or pelvis, a condition known as deep vein thrombosis. The clinic notes that risk factors include cancer, surgery, prolonged immobility, hormone therapy, pregnancy, and smoking.
Rectal cancer, also outlined by the Mayo Clinic, begins as abnormal cell growth in the rectum, the final section of the large intestine that connects the colon to the anus.
The report further claims that earlier in her life, O’Hara had been diagnosed with dextrocardia with situs inversus, a rare condition in which the heart is positioned on the right side of the chest rather than the left.
The Daily Mail states that an ambulance was called to O’Hara’s Brentwood home shortly before 5am on the morning of her reported death, with the actress said to be in a "serious condition". She was later taken to hospital, where she allegedly passed away.
Her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and their sons, Matthew and Luke, are said to have shared an obituary, followed by a private celebration of life.
The actress was last seen publicly on October 16 last year at the Angel Awards held at the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica, Upward Bound House’s annual gala. An attendee told the Daily Mail that O’Hara appeared noticeably slim.
"Her face was almost gaunt, but she still looked very pretty - she is a striking-looking woman - and she had a touch of glam going on. She hid her figure in a bulky green pinstriped suit," the guest said.
They added: "She seemed to be in great spirits, however, and was very friendly and upbeat and lovely."
Born in Toronto, Canada, O’Hara was one of seven children and discovered acting at an early age, playing the Virgin Mary in a Nativity play. After leaving high school, she worked as a waitress at Toronto’s Second City Theatre, where she crossed paths with future comedy stars including Dan Aykroyd and Joe Flaherty.
Reflecting on that period in a 2024 interview with People, O’Hara said: "I was lucky enough to watch everybody."
She officially joined Second City in 1974 but later admitted she struggled with anxiety on stage. Speaking to The New Yorker in 2019, she explained: "My crutch was, in improvs, when in doubt, play insane. Because you didn't have to excuse anything that came out of your mouth. It didn't have to make sense."
Her breakout fame came on Second City Television, which aired on NBC in the 1980s, where she became known for her razor-sharp celebrity impressions, including Meryl Streep and Brooke Shields.
O’Hara made her film debut in 1980 in Double Negative, starring alongside John Candy and Eugene Levy. She went on to achieve major success in 1988 as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice, followed by her iconic role as Kevin McCallister’s mother in Home Alone in 1990 and its 1992 sequel.
Speaking to People about the holiday classic, she once said: "It's a perfect movie, isn't it?"
Her later work included Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and a return to the Beetlejuice universe in the 2024 sequel.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek. She also received a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for the role.
During her Emmy acceptance speech, she said: "I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be herself."
According to the Daily Mail, O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch and their sons Matthew and Luke, as tributes continue to pour in amid growing questions surrounding the reported circumstances of her death.