Catherine O’Hara’s death has sent a shockwave through Hollywood, and now officials have revealed the medical emergency that claimed the life of the beloved Home Alone and Beetlejuice star.
O’Hara died on Jan. 30 at age 71, and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed she passed away from a pulmonary embolism — a sudden blood clot in the lungs that can strike without warning. According to TMZ, rectal cancer was listed as the underlying cause, raising new questions about the quiet health battle she kept out of the spotlight.
The comedy legend, who fans adored for everything from Beetlejuice’s Delia Deetz to Schitt’s Creek’s Moira Rose, had reportedly been suffering from a “brief illness.” Her death certificate shows she was cremated, with her ashes returned to her husband, Bo Welch, the filmmaker she famously met on the set of Beetlejuice.
Adding another layer to the story, O’Hara lived her entire life with a rare congenital condition called situs inversus — where organs are positioned in mirror image of their typical locations. While not tied to her death, experts say the condition can sometimes coexist with lung issues, intensifying public speculation.
Fans looking back now remember how frail she appeared at the 2025 Emmy Awards, her final major public appearance, where she earned a nomination for her Apple TV+ series The Studio.
Born in Toronto, O’Hara became a global sensation in the late ’80s and early ’90s before cementing her legend with Christopher Guest’s cult classics and her award-winning reunion with Eugene Levy on Schitt’s Creek. Levy paid an emotional tribute, saying he had “no words” for the grief of losing his friend of more than fifty years.
Saturday Night Live honored O’Hara by closing its show with her image — a full-circle moment for the star who was briefly cast on the series in 1981 before returning as a fan-favorite host in the ’90s.
Her death marks the end of a comedic era, but her voice, characters, and impact remain impossible to replace.
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Sad to hear.😢