‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Catherine O’Hara has passed away at the age of 71 at her longtime home in Los Angeles, just months after her last on-screen appearance in the hit comedy “The Studio.”
Her death was confirmed by her spokesperson, who said Rolling stone that the actress died at home after a short, unspecified illness.
Born in Toronto, Canada, O’Hara rose to prominence in the late 1970s when she starred in the sketch comedy show “Second City Television,” but it was her roles in several major blockbuster films — including the “Home Alone” franchise, “Beetlejuice” and “After Hours” — that really launched her to stardom.
Although the actress has worked solidly throughout her career, she saw a major professional resurgence after landing the role of Moira Rose in the Canadian comedy series ‘Schitt’s Creek’, alongside Eugene Levyhis son, Dan LevyAnd Annie Murphy.
O’Hara is survived by her two adult sons, Matthew And Lucasas well as her husband, Bo Welchwhom she married in 1992 after moving from Canada to California to continue her relationship with the production designer, whom she met on the set of “Beetlejuice.”
“I was in ‘Beetlejuice’ and the production designer, Bo Welch, was very attractive, and he ended up asking me out,” she told The New Yorker in 2019. “We went to the location at the end of the movie and we started dating. I moved to LA to be with him. Yes, I moved for love.”
The couple welcomed their first son, Matthew, in 1994, the same year they bought a picturesque Los Angeles home together for $1.25 million. Their second child, Luke, was born in 1997.
O’Hara and Welch, who have been nominated for four Academy Awards, started dating shortly after filming began for ‘Beetlejuice,’ with the actress later revealing their romance was first sparked by director Tim Burtonwho encouraged his production designer to ask her out.
“I was complaining to Tim Burton about how this guy talked to me all the time and never asked me out,” she recalled to InStyle in 2018. “We had a break between filming in Los Angeles and on location, and during that time Tim told Bo to ask me out.”
As a result, O’Hara confessed that she had particularly fond memories of the “Beetlejuice” set, including the Vermont mansion that served as the primary set — and was the location where Welch finally worked up the courage to ask her out.
“Our first day of shooting at the house was the day Bo finally asked me out, so that’s what I see when I look at the scenes we shot there,” she said.
Although O’Hara lived in Los Angeles for much of her adult life, she remained closely connected to her Canadian roots and even credited her home country for her quick wit and comedic skills.
During a 2020 interview with Rolling stoneO’Hara noted that Canadians “have a sense of humor not only about others, but also about themselves, which I think is the healthiest and best kind of humor to have.”
“And there’s an edge to it,” she continued. ‘But with compassion and love. There’s a good, dark sense of humor in there too, just because you’re aware of the world around you.”
This is a current news item. Check back regularly for updates.
