NEWSRita Wilson Reflects on 'Wonderful' Friend Catherine O'Hara at 2026 Grammys, Days After the Late Actress' Death
'Her work will live on,' the actress said of the 'Schitt's Creek' alum's passing.
Feb. 1 2026, Published 7:53 p.m. ET
Rita Wilson will miss her late friend Catherine O'Hara.
Speaking with a reporter on the red carpet at the 2026 Grammys on Sunday, February 1, the actress and singer, 69, said of the Schitt's Creek alum: "As great as she was as an actor, that's how great she was as a mother, a parent, a friend."
"She was just a wonderful person," Wilson added. "Her work will live on.. we will get to laugh and enjoy everything that she put out into the world."
Rita Wilson reacts to her friend Catherine O'Hara's tragic death at 71.
Catherine O'Hara Battled a 'Brief Illness' Before Her Death
Catherine O'Hara passed away on January 30.
The Sleepless in Seattle actress' remarks come days after O'Hara's untimely death was confirmed by her representatives at Creative Artists Agency, on Friday, January 30. She was 71.
"Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness," CAA shared in a statement to a news outlet.
The Home Alone actress looked noticeably frail in her last public appearance in September 2025 at the Emmy Awards, where she was nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in The Studio and Guest Actress in a Drama Series in The Last of Us.
'May Her Memory Be Eternal'
Catherine O'Hara looked frail at the Emmy Awards in September 2025.
Tom Hanks' wife also paid tribute to O'Hara when news broke of her passing on Friday.
"A woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did," she wrote alongside an old photo of the Best in Show actress on Instagram.
"You saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family. Bo, Luke and Matthew, our deepest sympathies. May Catherine rest in peace. May her memory be eternal."
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Rita Wilson's Grammys Date Was Her 15-Year-Old Granddaughter
Rita Wilson brought her granddaughter Olivia as her date.
Wilson hit the red carpet with granddaughter Olivia Hanks, whose 15th birthday coincided with the star-studded awards show.
Olivia is the daughter of Colin Hanks, Tom's eldest son with his first wife, Samantha Lewes.
Both looked glamorous, with Rita donning a black and silver bedazzled gown by British designer Jenny Packham, while Olivia wore a navy off-the-shoulder dress.
Rita Wilson previously described herself and husband Tom Hanks as 'cool grandparents.'
Rita spoke about spending quality time with her grandkids in a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"You got to get on the trampoline with them, you got to get in the pool with them, you got to get on the tennis court, you got to do all the sports," she said at the time. "You just got to hang out."
The Girls alum also told the outlet in 2017 that she and Tom, 69, are "cool grandparents."
