Catherine O’Hara, whose career spanned from SCTV to her Emmy-winning role on Schitt’s Creek, and included beloved turns in Home Alone and Beetlejuice, has died, People confirmed on Jan. 30. She was 71.
Following news of her death, tributes to O’Hara spread quickly across social media, with fans sharing clips, quotes, and memories from her decades-long career in comedy. Many revisited scenes from Schitt’s Creek, where her portrayal of Moira Rose became one of television’s most easily quoted and beloved characters.
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Tributes also poured in from O’Hara’s fellow actors. Pedro Pascal, who appeared alongside her in The Last of Us Season 2, shared a photo of the actress on social media, writing, “Genius to be near you… This lucky world that had you, will keep you, always.” Justin Theroux, who co-starred with O’Hara in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, echoed the sentiment with his own post honoring the late star: “Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed.”
The rest of the internet is remembering her for both her immense talent and singular onscreen presence.
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Over a career spanning five decades, O’Hara built a body of work that bridged sketch comedy, Hollywood blockbusters, cult classics, and prestige television — all while maintaining a reputation as one of comedy’s most inventive performers.
She first rose to prominence in the 1970s as a core member of the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV, where her ability to shapeshift into dozens of characters made her a standout. Her work on the show established her as a performer who could balance absurdity with emotional truth, a quality that would define her career. She even won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1982 for her work on the show.
In film, O’Hara became a staple of beloved comedies, memorably playing the frazzled mother in Home Alone and its sequel, and delivering a scene-stealing performance in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. She voiced Sally in the holiday cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. And she frequently collaborated with filmmaker Christopher Guest, appearing in mockumentary classics such as Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind.
Her late-career renaissance came with Schitt’s Creek, in which she portrayed the extravagant and endlessly quotable Moira Rose. The role earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and introduced her to a new generation of fans, cementing her status as a pop culture icon and one of television’s most unforgettable performers.
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