Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara dead at 71

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Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara dead at 71 News By George Marston published 30 January 2026

Beloved comedian and actor Catherine O'Hara has died

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Beloved actor Catherine O'Hara has died at the age of 71 of an undisclosed illness.

Her manager confirmed the news (via Variety).

O'Hara first came to prominence as part of the Second City comedy troupe as a regular performer on the group's cult favorite sketch show SCTV. After years appearing in numerous comedy shows and other TV appearances, she made her big screen debut in Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice as the improbably posh Delia Deetz.

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This led to a run of collaborations with Burton including Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie, and sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She also developed a close working relationship with director Christopher Guest, appearing in his largely improvised mockumentary films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.

O'Hara's other major film and TV credits include Home Alone and Home Alone 2, Dick Tracy, and of course her starring role as Moira Rose in hit comedy series Schitt's Creek. More recently, she appeared as former studio executive Patty Leigh in The Studio and had a memorable guest role on The Last of Us.

Along the way, O'Hara received numerous award nominations, winning two Primetime Emmys, one for her role as a writer on SCTV, and one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Schitt's Creek, along with a 2025 nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for The Studio. Her performance in Schitt's Creek also landed her a Golden Globe in 2021.

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I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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