Cancer underlying cause of Catherine O’Hara’s deathAndrew DaltonAPTue, 10 February 2026 6:08AM
Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism, with cancer as the underlying cause.
A Los Angeles County death certificate issued on Monday lists the pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, as the immediate cause of her death on January 30 at the age of 71. Rectal cancer was the long-term cause.
The oncologist who signed off on the certificate indicated that he had been treating the Canadian actress since March and last saw her on January 27.
She died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California.
The beloved Canadian-born comic actress and SCTV alum starred as Macaulay Culkin’s mother in two Home Alone movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically oblivious wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek.
Her death was a surprise to most and an initial statement from her representatives said only that she died “following a brief illness”.
Collaborators including Culkin, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and Pedro Pascal paid her loving tributes after her death.
The document said O’Hara was cremated.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails
Read more on The West Australian
