Catherine O’Hara’s Schitt’s Creek costars are mourning the death of their former costar.
“What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years,” Dan Levy wrote via Instagram on Friday, January 30. “Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it.”
O’Hara died on Friday, January 30, at age 71. O’Hara’s agency CAA shared via a statement that she died “at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.”
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson later confirmed to Us Weekly that paramedics were called to the actress’ Brentwood home at 4:48 a.m. Friday morning for a medical aid call. O’Hara was transported in “serious condition” to the hospital. An official cause of death has yet to be released.
O’Hara played Rose family matriarch Moira on the beloved sitcom. The role was one of her most notable performances to date. She starred alongside Dan, Eugene Levy and Annie Murphy as the rest of the Rose clan. The cast also included Emily Hampshire, Chris Elliott, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan and more.
Her portrayal of Moira earned praise from the fans and critical acclaim. O’Hara won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020 for her performance in the series’ final season.
Ahead of her death, O’Hara expressed her interest in reuniting with her Schitt’s Creek family for a potential revival.
“I would love to [do it]. We did a bit of a tour after we finished the show, and it was so much fun,” she said in a 2024 interview with People.
O’Hara added that she would love the chance to work alongside Dan, Eugene and Murphy one more time.
“I’d love to just be with them all again,” she added. “Doing a movie would be wonderful. Yeah, I hope it happens.”
O’Hara also expressed her gratitude for Dan and Eugene, who co-created the comedy, for giving her the chance to have a say behind the scenes.
“It’s such a gift to work with people with whom you can collaborate. And they wrote such great scripts, and it was just so fun and so lovely,” she recalled. “And really, I hate to say COVID was good for anything, but we really lucked out with Netflix showing the show. Then so many families being holed up, parents and adult children being holed up under the same roof.”
O’Hara’s Schitt’s Creek costars were not the only ones who honored her following her death. Macaulay Culkin, who played O’Hara’s son in Home Alone, and Michael Keaton, who starred in the Beetlejuice films alongside the actress, were of the many who paid their respects.
Keep scrolling to see which Schitt’s Creek stars paid tribute to O’Hara:
Tim Rozon
Tim Roxon, who played Annie Murphy’s love interest Mutt in the first two seasons, shared a post from CBC announcing Catherine O’Hara’s death.
Rizwan Manji
Rizwan Manji, who played town realtor and city council member Ray, penned a touching tribute for Catherine O’Hara.
“This is truly shocking. I was a big fan of Catherine O’Hara long before I ever had the chance to work with her,” he wrote via Instagram alongside a slideshow of his memories with the actress. “I was so nervous the first time I met her, and she was even nicer and funnier than one could imagine.”
One snap included a photo of him and O’Hara at a previous Emmy Awards.
“The second photo is of her and me standing in line to buy popcorn at the Emmys. She had just come off stage after presenting an award and was nominated herself that year, yet she stood in line like a regular person,” he continued. “But she wasn’t a regular person. She was a true comedic genius who brought so much laughter to so many people. She will be terribly missed. RIP, Catherine.”
Dan Levy
Dan Levy paid tribute to Catherine O’Hara whom he considered family in real life.
“Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family,” he wrote via Instagram alongside a selfie of him and his on-screen mom. “It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and every member of her big, beautiful family.”
Eugene Levy
After collaborating with O’Hara for five decades on various onscreen projects, the loss was palpable for Eugene Levy.
Eugene, who portrayed O’Hara’s onscreen husband on Schitt’s Creek, shared a statement with Us Weekly on January 30.
“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years. From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship,” Eugene, 79, said. “And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”
Sarah Levy
Sarah, 39, honored O’Hara via Instagram on Friday, sharing how devastated she was to lose her costar.
“This one cuts deep. What an honor it has been to know and work with and love Catherine O’Hara,” Sarah wrote. “Cheers to all that you brought to this world — you will be so, so missed. ❤️”
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