New details have been revealed regarding Catherine O’Hara’s sudden death.
O’Hara’s immediate cause of death was listed as a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lungs, with rectal cancer as the underlying cause, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office report obtained by TMZ on Monday, February 9.
The report also noted that O’Hara has been cremated.
Us Weekly confirmed on January 30 that the Schitt’s Creek actress had died at the age of 71.
Creative Artists Agency shared in a statement at the time that O’Hara died in L.A. following “a brief illness.”
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson previously told Us that paramedics arrived at O’Hara’s home earlier that day at 4:48 a.m. in response to a call for medical aid. She was transported to a nearby hospital in “serious” condition.
O’Hara’s career as a Hollywood actress spanned nearly five decades, beginning with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, for which she earned her first Emmy.
While she had a variety of roles in movies like Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Best in Show, O’Hara shined on the small screen while appearing in critically acclaimed shows like Schitt’s Creek and The Last of Us.
Her most recent role was playing Patty Leigh in The Studio. The performance earned her a nomination at the 2025 Emmys, which was her last public appearance in September.
When asked about her status as a comedy icon, O’Hara humbly told Variety in March 2025, “I don’t think of myself like that, but it’s nice that others do.”
Soon after O’Hara’s death was confirmed, many of her costars began sharing unforgettable memories with the actress.
“Mama. I thought we had time,” Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin wrote via Instagram on January 30. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”
In a separate Instagram post, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costar Justin Theroux wrote, “🕊️Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed.”
Away from the lights and cameras, O’Hara was married to Bo Welch since 1992. The duo met on the set of Beetlejuice in 1987 with help from director Tim Burton.
“[He] was very attractive, and he finally asked me out,” she told The New Yorker in 2019. “We went on location at the end of the movie, and we started dating. I moved to L.A. to be with him. Yeah, I moved for love.”
The couple welcomed their first son, Matthew, in 1994 and their second son, Luke, in 1997. According to CAA, a private celebration of life will be held by the family at a later date.
“I’m with my family as much as I can be,” O’Hara told 519 Magazine in August 2019. “In deciding what work I might get involved in for my whole working life, my family’s always come first. I have two sons, and when they were babies, I thought what’s the point? What’s the point of having children if I’m not going to be with them, so that was always number one consideration and always will be.”
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