# Catherine O'Hara Is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [January 30, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208 "2026-01-30T18:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/1 "2026-01-30T18:19:14Z")
Reliable sources state Catherine O’Hara has died, age 71. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/2 "2026-01-30T18:21:24Z")
A link to the breaking news story on TMZ, which is a trashy site, but is usually very accurate on this sort of thing: > **[Catherine O'Hara Dead at 71](https://www.tmz.com/2026/01/30/catherine-ohara-dead/)** > > Catherine O'Hara -- famous for her work in "Schitt's Creek," "Home Alone," and "Best In Show" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned. She was, of course, part of the brilliant cast on _SCTV_, which is where I first saw her. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/3 "2026-01-30T18:24:41Z")
Dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/4 "2026-01-30T18:26:13Z")
Loved her in _Beetlejuice_. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/5 "2026-01-30T18:26:58Z")
That’s exactly what I said when my wife sent me the news. I remember watching her on SCTV sketches before seeing her in movies. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/6 "2026-01-30T18:35:44Z")
Just heard this on the radio. I’m another person that grew up watching her on SCTV, Beatlejuice, all the Christopher Guest movies, and on and on. A personal anecdote: back in the late 1980s, I worked at a 1 Hour photo lab in downtown Toronto. Many of the staff were alternative types and we had a very eclectic selection of music playing in the store. One day Mary Margaret O’Hara’s (Catherine’s sister) Miss America CD was playing when Catherine herself walked in the store. She was very excited to hear what we were playing and wanted us to crank the volume. She was a very nice person! ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/7 "2026-01-30T18:40:36Z")
This sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/8 "2026-01-30T18:44:24Z")
Wow. That is young, and that is sad. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/9 "2026-01-30T18:46:23Z")
For some reason I always thought that she would be the last SCTV alum to go. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/10 "2026-01-30T18:49:37Z")
Fuck. She was wonderful on Schitt’s Creek. And everything else. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/11 "2026-01-30T18:52:51Z")
I only knew her from SCTV – never saw the other stuff – but she was a lovely and very talented woman and it’s a sad loss to the arts community, ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/12 "2026-01-30T18:55:43Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > For some reason I always thought that she would be the last SCTV alum to go. 😢 I always appreciated how SCTV paired Eugene Levy with both O’Hara and Joe Flaherty, in classic Irish-Jewish vaudeville fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/13 "2026-01-30T19:00:15Z")
One of my favorite actresses. She could do drama, but she was an absolute legend in comedy. I remember first seeing her on SCTV, which aired after SNL in my area (or the same time the night before…hell, it’s been 40+ years). She was amazing. I can’t think of a role I saw her in I didn’t enjoy. Thanks for being a constant source of laughter, ma’am…you’ll be missed worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/14 "2026-01-30T19:00:35Z")
‘I will go insane, and I will take you with me!’ ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/15 "2026-01-30T19:04:15Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > For some reason I always thought that she would be the last SCTV alum to go. 😢 I just did a quick Copilot search: | Cast Member | Birthdate | Age (2026) / Age at Death | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **John Candy** | Oct 31, 1950 | **Age at death: 43** | Died Mar 4, 1994 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Joe Flaherty** | Jun 21, 1941 | **Age at death: 82** | Died Apr 1, 2024 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Eugene Levy** | Dec 17, 1946 | **80** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Andrea Martin** | Jan 15, 1947 | **79** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Catherine O’Hara** | Mar 4, 1954 | **72** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Rick Moranis** | Apr 18, 1953 | **73** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Dave Thomas** | May 20, 1949 | **77** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | | **Martin Short** | Mar 26, 1950 | **76** | Alive in 2026 [[stackoverflow.com]](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57186280/application-misconfiguration-error-for-azure-active-directory) | She was the same age as Tony Rosato, who died quite early. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/16 "2026-01-30T19:08:31Z")
She’s having a sexy holiday up in heaven now. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kCVDNvId0wI/maxresdefault.jpg "The Dusty Towne Sexy Holiday Special featuring Catherine O'Hara, John Candy and Andrea Martin | SCTV") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCVDNvId0wI) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/17 "2026-01-30T19:08:33Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I just did a quick Copilot search: That helped to answer the question I had been thinking of: just how old was she when _SCTV_ premiered, and was she the youngest cast member. When the series first started, in '77, she was only 23 or 24 (and, yes, the youngest member), though I’m not sure if the first couple of seasons ever aired in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/18 "2026-01-30T19:09:22Z")
I loved her in Schitt’s Creek. Such a shame. And she was so young. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/19 "2026-01-30T19:14:50Z")
RIP 😔. What a great career she had. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208/20 "2026-01-30T19:19:03Z")
A sad loss. Great in everything she did, but my heart belongs to SCTV. These are _The Days of the Week_… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NwXv10TOcko/maxresdefault.jpg "SCTV - Introducing “The Days of the Week ” - Episode 1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwXv10TOcko) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catherine-ohara-is-dead/1027208.md?page=2)