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By Adeola Adeosun
Weekend Night Editor
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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office released actress Catherine O'Hara's official cause of death on Monday, revealing that the 71-year-old suffered a pulmonary embolism. According to the death certificate, O'Hara was cremated, and her remains were given to her husband, Robert "Bo" Welch.
What Was Catherine O'Hara's Cause of Death?
The medical examiner's report lists pulmonary embolism as the immediate cause of death, with rectal cancer identified as the underlying condition. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, which can be life-threatening.
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O'Hara passed away at the end of January after being rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Dispatch personnel reported that she was having trouble breathing at the time. Her manager confirmed her death to People and Variety, stating she died in her home following a "brief illness."
The revelation of her cancer diagnosis came as a surprise to many, as the actress had continued working up until her death, most recently earning an Emmy nomination for her role opposite Seth Rogen in the Apple TV+ series The Studio.
Born on March 4, 1954, in Toronto, O'Hara was one of seven children. She began her career at Second City Theater in Toronto, where she worked as a waitress before joining the cast of sketch comedy series SCTV. Among her co-stars was Eugene Levy, who would decades later play her husband on Schitt's Creek. The pair described themselves as "late bloomers" in a 2016 interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Who Is Catherine O'Hara's Husband, Bo Welch?
Bo Welch is an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated production designer, best known for his work on Edward Scissorhands, Men in Black and A Little Princess. He grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and had his big break as a production designer in 1985's The Color Purple, which landed him his first of four Oscar nominations.
Welch made his directorial debut in 2003 with The Cat in the Hat and directed five episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which earned him his first Primetime Emmy nomination. He has also done production design for Batman Returns, Schmigadoon! and Thor.
The couple met on the set of Beetlejuice in 1988, where O'Hara starred as Delia Deetz, and Welch worked on production design. Director Tim Burton played matchmaker after O'Hara confided in him about her crush on Welch.
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"I was grouching to Tim Burton about how this guy was talking to me all the time and never asking me out," O'Hara told InStyle in 2018. Burton arranged a trip to a swap meet with the film's art department, and Welch finally asked O'Hara out during filming in Vermont.
O'Hara moved to Los Angeles to be with Welch after Beetlejuice wrapped, she told The New Yorker in 2019. "I was in Beetlejuice, and the production designer, Bo Welch, was very attractive, and he finally asked me out," she said. "We went on location at the end of the movie, and we started dating. I moved to L.A. to be with him. Yeah, I moved for love."
They married on April 25, 1992, and welcomed two sons together: Matthew in 1994 and Luke in 1997. Both sons have followed in their parents' footsteps with careers in Hollywood.
What Movies and TV Series Did Catherine O'Hara Star In?
O'Hara gained notoriety when Second City launched the sketch series SCTV in 1976, earning her an Emmy Award for her writing on the show. Over the coming decades, she became a fixture in Hollywood, starring in numerous iconic roles, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone, Beetlejuice, and Best in Show.
She experienced a career renaissance in recent years with roles on Schitt's Creek, The Studio and The Last of Us.
Her role as Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek garnered her widespread acclaim and, in 2020, a Golden Globe.
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Celebrities Post Tributes to Catherine O'Hara
Macaulay Culkin, who played her son Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, paid tribute to O'Hara on Instagram after news broke of her death.
"Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later," he wrote.
Pedro Pascal, who starred with O'Hara on The Last of Us, wrote on Instagram, "Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always."
"Catherine O’Hara - a woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did. 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," actress Rita Wilson wrote on Instagram.
"Another comedic icon has left the stage, and way too early. Whether it was her roles in mockumentaries like 'Best in Show' and 'A Mighty Wind,' leaving Kevin 'Home Alone,' being hilariously possessed in 'Beetlejuice' or her most recent turn in 'The Studio,' there were a million and one reasons to adore Catherine O’Hara. Rest in Peace," wrote Melissa Rivers in a tribute post to Instagram.
"Fell in love at first sight on SCTV, and it only got stronger. Rest In Peace, Angel Catherine O’Hara," wrote Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen on Instagram.
Update 2/9/26, 4:12 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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