Catherine O’Hara, Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone star, dies at 71

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades, from Kevin’s beleaguered mother in Home Alone to Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, has died aged 71.

Canadian-born O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness”, according to a statement from her agency, CAA. Further details were not immediately available.

O’Hara was an alum of Toronto’s Second City Theatre and was one of the creators of the sketch comedy show SCTV which would help launch the careers of other top Canadian comedians including Martin Short and Andrea Martin.

Her career was launched at Second City in the 1970s. It was there that she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator — and her Schitt’s Creek co-star.

O’Hara’s dramatic turn in HBO’s The Last Of Us earned her an Emmy nomination, as did her recent role as a Hollywood producer in The Studio.

She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.