Hollywood star Catherine O'Hara dies following brief illness
Photo: Catherine O’Hara (still from Home Alone)
Hollywood actress Catherine O'Hara died on January 30, 2026, at the age of 71. The cause of her death has now been revealed, according to People.
What caused Catherine O'Hara’s death
The Home Alone star passed away "after a brief illness", her representative said.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the actress was taken to a local hospital on the morning of January 30.
At 4:48 a.m. local time, emergency services received a call from her residence reporting a woman in her early 70s experiencing breathing difficulties.
She was urgently transported to a medical facility in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save her.
Her representative did not disclose an exact diagnosis. O'Hara had not previously complained about health problems, though she had once shared that she was born with a rare genetic condition in which the heart is located on the opposite side of the chest — known as situs inversus.
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How the star of “Home Alone” died (Screenshot from the film)
What is known about Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara was born on March 4, 1954, in Toronto. From an early age, she showed strong acting talent, marked by charisma, expressive facial acting, and sharp humor.
She began her career in 1974 with the Second City Toronto theater troupe and, in 1976, became a cast member of the television show SCTV, where she worked alongside John Candy, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis.
In 1982, she won her first Emmy Award for writing on SCTV, and in 2020, she earned another Emmy for her role as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek.
She gained worldwide fame for her role as Kate McCallister in Home Alone. She was also known for playing Delia in Beetlejuice (1988) and its 2024 sequel.
In recent years, O'Hara continued working in television, appearing in the Apple TV+ series The Studio and in the second season of The Last of Us.
