NEWSCatherine O'Hara's Brother Says She 'Didn't Want to Talk on the Phone' Before Her 'Unexpected and Sad Death'
Catherine O'Hara's brother Michael said she 'didn't want to talk on the phone' before her death.
April 8 2026, Published 7:22 a.m. ET
Catherine O’Hara’s brother is opening up about their final connection — and the memories he’s holding onto.
During an episode of his podcast “Dreams of Our Loved Ones,” Michael P. O’Hara shared what their communication was like before the beloved actress passed away. According to him, the Home Alone star had grown more distant in the days leading up to her “very unexpected and very, very sad” death.
Catherine O’Hara’s brother shared emotional memories following her passing.
“She didn’t really want to talk on the phone,” he revealed. “She didn’t live close by; she’s in Los Angeles.”
Despite the distance, Michael said he experienced something deeply meaningful before her passing. He recalled a vivid dream that felt like a final farewell from his sister.
“I was hugging her, which was really beautiful,” Michael shared. “I guess it was a sort of goodbye. I always cherish the times I can meet with a loved one in the dream state.”
“Since then, I’ve had a lovely dream where I was visiting her, and she was in a new house and it was being renovated and she was really busy choosing furniture and couches. And she said, ‘You can sleep here anytime, Michael. You can come over and stay anytime,’” he said.
The moment brought back old memories for him.
“It reminded me of when I was when she was in Second City Television and I was apprenticing at the Windsor Arms Hotel. I would go over and sleep over at her place some nights because she had an extra bedroom. Yeah, pretty cool. But yeah, it was beautiful. She was just so happy and very busy in the other world that she’s now in, but yeah, it’s beautiful," Michael recounted.
Michael O'Hara revealed that his sister had become distant and 'didn’t want to talk on the phone' before her death.
For Michael, those dreams have become a source of comfort.
“We’re all interconnected,” he said. “And the love, you know, continues no matter what. They’re always with us.”
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As OK! previously reported, the Beetlejuice actress passed away on January 30 after being rushed to the hospital in “serious” condition with “breathing difficulty.” Her agency later confirmed she had been battling a “brief illness” before her death at home.
Michael P. O'Hara had a vivid dream about his sister after she died.
More than a week later, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed additional details. While a pulmonary embolism was listed as the immediate cause of death, rectal cancer was noted as an underlying factor.
Following her passing, it was reported that Catherine was cremated, and her remains were given to her husband, Robert “Bo” Welch.
The actress' death was later linked to a pulmonary embolism, with cancer as an underlying cause.
Throughout her life, family remained incredibly important to the actress. As one of seven children, she once shared how much she valued that bond — especially after losing both of her parents within a year.
"[I was] especially grateful ... that they had given us each other because we were all together," she said in a past interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. "They had seven kids ... And that they that just seemed like the most beautiful gift that they’d given us each other to be with."
