“One of the greatest comedic talents”: a tribute to actress Catherine O’Hara | Catherine O’Hara

Condolences poured in from the worlds of entertainment and politics for Catherine O’Hara, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Schitt’s Creek co-creator Dan Levy mourning the loss of a “legend” after the actress died at the age of 71.

O’Hara, who won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her role in the TV comedy, died Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness, according to her agency CAA.

The Canadian-American actor was also known for his roles in the films Home Alone and Beetlejuice. In an Instagram post, Levy said he would “cherish every funny memory I was lucky enough to make with her.”

He added: “What a gift it has been to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all these years.

“I’ve spent over 50 years collaborating with my father [Schitt’s Creek co-star and co-creator Eugene Levy]Katherine had an extended family before she played my family.

“It’s hard to imagine a world without it.”

“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today,” Eugene Levy said. “I have had the privilege of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for more than 50 years.

“From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the films we made with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years at Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. I will miss it. My heart goes out to Beau, Matthew, Luke and the entire O’Hara family.”

Richard E. Grant, who starred in the 2006 film Penelope with O’Hara, described the actor’s death as an “incalculable loss.” “She and her husband Beau were the first people we called when we were in LA, stayed with us in the Cotswolds, shared dinner with us in London and never stopped chatting and laughing,” he said in an Instagram post.

In 2024, O’Hara reprized her role as Delia Dietz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, after starring in the first film in 1988. Her star Michael Keaton said: “We go back to before the first Beetlejuice movie. She was my fake wife, my alleged enemy, my real life, my real friend. It hurts. Man, I’m going to miss her.”

Alec Baldwin, who also starred in the original film, described O’Hara as “one of the film industry’s greatest comedic talents” who possesses “a quality all her own.”

Seth Rogen, her co-star on the Apple TV comedy series The Studio — for which O’Hara received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations — called the news of her death “devastating.”

“I told O’Hara when I first met her that I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen,” he said in an Instagram post.

“Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Working with her was a true honor.

“She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… She made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her being in it. And that’s devastating. We’re all so lucky to live in a world with her.”

Canadian comedian Mike Myers called her death “a very sad day for comedy and Canada,” calling O’Hara “one of the greatest comedians in history.”

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called her a “beloved Canadian icon,” while the country’s current leader, Mark Carney, said Canada had “lost a legend.”

Carney said in a statement that he joined all Canadians in mourning, adding: “Over five decades of work, Catherine has earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy.”

O’Hara is survived by her husband, Beau Welsh, and sons, Matthew and Luke. The statement said her family will hold a private celebration of her life.