Catherine O’Hara’s Cause of Death Confirmed as Pulmonary Embolism

Actor and comedian Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as an underlying condition, according to TMZ, which cited her death certificate. She was 71.

O’Hara died Friday, Jan. 30, at her home in Los Angeles. She had been hospitalized earlier that morning after falling ill, according to Page Six. Her agency, Creative Artists Agency, said she died following a brief illness.

Her career spanned more than five decades. O’Hara first rose to prominence on the Canadian sketch series Second City Television, where she won an Emmy for writing. She later became widely known for film roles, including Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton. She returned to the role in the 2024 sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

O’Hara also starred as Kate McCallister in the Home Alone films, opposite Macaulay Culkin. The two remained close, and O’Hara honored Culkin at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023. After her death, Culkin shared a tribute on social media, writing, “Mama. I thought we had time… I love you. I’ll see you later.”

She reunited with Burton on The Nightmare Before Christmas, voicing Sally, and later appeared in Frankenweenie.

O’Hara experienced a late-career resurgence with the hit comedy Schitt’s Creek, playing Moira Rose alongside Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, and Annie Murphy. She won an Emmy for the role in 2020.

More recently, O’Hara appeared in The Last of Us and The Studio, earning two Emmy nominations in 2025.

She is remembered as one of the most versatile and beloved performers in comedy and film.