BREAKING NEWSCatherine O'Hara Battled 'Brief Illness' Before Untimely Death
Legendary Hollywood actress Catherine O'Hara, known for her roles in 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' battled a 'brief illness' before she died on January 30.
Jan. 30 2026, Published 2:43 p.m. ET
Catherine O'Hara battled a "brief illness" before her untimely death on Friday, January 30.
“Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” CAA confirmed in a statement to a news outlet.
Catherine O'Hara Battled a 'Brief Illness' Before Her Death
Catherine O'Hara's death was confirmed on January 30.
The Schitt's Creek actress reportedly suffered from situs inversus, a rare condition in which the arrangement of the internal organs is a mirror image of normal anatomy, according to NIH.
O'Hara's cause of death is still unclear. However, the Los Angeles Fire Department told the outlet they responded to a call at 4:48 a.m. before transporting the actress to the hospital in "serious" condition.
Catherine O'Hara Made Her Last Public Appearance in September 2025
Catherine O'Hara's last public appearance was in September 2025 at the Emmy Awards.
O'Hara is survived by her husband of 33 years, Bob Welch, and their two sons, Luke and Matthew.
The Home Alone actress made her last public appearance on September 14, 2025, at the Emmy Awards. She was nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on The Studio and Guest Actress for a Drama Series on The Last of Us.
O'Hara was all smiles as she turned heads in a long-sleeve black gown with a sequin neckline, stepping out alongside her husband, who coordinated in a sleek black tuxedo.
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Catherine O'Hara Revealed She Contracted COVID
Catherine O'Hara revealed she contracted COVID while filming 'The Studio.'
Though the details of O'Hara's death are unclear, the Beetlejuice actress revealed she contracted COVID during the production of the Seth Rogen-led show The Studio.
“I got COVID at The Sphere, and that’s all I could see watching that one. I can see my posture is just [droops her body],” she told a news outlet in May 2025. “I didn’t test because we were trying to finish shooting, and we were leaving town in a day or two, so we had to shoot all those scenes.”
“I just kept my distance,” O’Hara added. “At one point, I had a water bottle down on the floor, and Evan [Goldberg] came over and he said, 'Oh, do you want your water?' 'No, don’t pick it up!' I just knew, like, ‘Don’t touch anything!’ Thank God I didn’t give it to anyone.”
Catherine O'Hara Made a Morbid Joke in 2025
Catherine O'Hara skipped the 2026 Golden Globes earlier this month despite being nominated.
The actress notably made a morbid joke about her morality during a March 2025 interview alongside Rogen and costar Kathryn Hahn.
"As actors, do you feel like you have more of a say, at least, if not power?" the interviewer asked, to which O'Hara candidly responded, "I’ve been treated that way lately. Am I dying or something?"
The Step Brothers actor jumped in on the joke, adding, "This is how we wanted to tell you. This man’s actually a doctor."
