Catherine O'Hara Experienced Difficulty Breathing Leading Up to Shocking Death, 911 Dispatch Audio Reveals

Shocking new details surrounding Catherine O'Hara's sudden death have been revealed.

According to 911 dispatch audio obtained by an outlet, the late actress was experiencing "breathing difficulty" before paramedics arrived at her home at 4:48 a.m. on Friday, January 30.

O'Hara was rushed to the hospital in "serious" condition. Shortly after, the star passed away at age 71.

O'Hara's cause of death has not yet been revealed, although she allegedly died following a "brief illness."

Before her demise, the TV star made her final public appearance at the Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025. 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. People noticed she looked frail on the red carpet, but O'Hara was all smiles, donning a black gown alongside her husband, Bo Welch.

O'Hara's Home Alone costar Macaulay Culkin posted an emotional tribute to Instagram as he mourned her death on Friday afternoon.

“Mama. I thought we had time,” he captioned a photo collage of them in Home Alone and, more recently, hugging. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”

Actor and comedian Tony Cavalero commented, "We're sending her, her family and y'all so much love ❤️," while John Stamos added, "Sorry pally!"

Two years before her passing, O'Hara gave a speech at Culkin's Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony in December 2023.

“Macaulay — this beautiful, dear little 10-year-old boy — was called a superstar, a moneymaker, one of the hottest leading young men in Hollywood by the world over. How does anyone survive that?” she said. “Well, I believe you’d have to possess a certain quality, a gift that dear [writer-producer] John Hughes obviously recognized in you, Macaulay: your sense of humor. It’s a sign of intelligence in a child, and a key to surviving life at any age. And from what I see, you have brought this sweet, yet twisted, yet totally relatable sense of humor to everything that you have chosen to do since Home Alone."

O'Hara continued as Culkin, 45, teared up, “Thank you for including me — your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice — to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you.”

The stars maintained a close relationship ever since the release of Home Alone in 1990, when Culkin was just 10 years old.