Trending Now: Macaulay Culkin, Seth Rogen, Pedro Pascal and others pay tribute to the ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star – Fans React

Catherine O’Hara, the beloved comedic actor known for her roles in “Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek” and “Best in Show,” has died at the age of 71 following a brief illness, her manager confirmed to Yahoo on Friday.

Over a career that spanned more than 50 years, O’Hara left an indelible impression on audiences with her searing wit, subtle eccentricity and fearless pursuit of a good laugh — the secret formula behind roles as varied and iconic as Moira Rose (Schitt’s Creek), Delia Deetz (Beetlejuice) and Kate McCallister (Home Alone).

She was also a true ensemble player. Starting in the mid-1970s with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, O’Hara showed again and again that she was the sort of actor who shone brightest when she was helping her castmates shine as well: in multiple Tim Burton projects, including Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas; in four straight Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration); and most recently, in HBO’s zombie apocalypse drama The Last of Us and Seth Rogen’s Hollywood sendup The Studio, both of which earned her 2025 Emmy nominations.

It’s no surprise, then, that Hollywood rushed to honor O’Hara as soon as news broke of her death. Here are some of the most moving and insightful remembrances.

Christopher Guest: “I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age. I send my love to her family.”

Macaulay Culkin: “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.”

Bryan Cranston: “Working with Catherine was like playing tennis with Venus Williams. She never let you feel it — but you just tried to volley the ball back to her, hoping that you can come close to her level of talent. She was brilliant, and joyful.”

Michael Keaton: “We go back before the first Beetlejuice. She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts.”

Tim Burton: “You were a special part of my life and after life.”

Seth Rogen: ”She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous… she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”

Pedro Pascal: “Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful.  There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you.”

Chris Columbus: “What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of [‘Home Alone’]. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth.”

Justin Theroux: “Oh Catherine. You will be so so missed.”

Kevin Nealon: “Catherine O’Hara changed how so many of us understand comedy and humanity.”

Michael McKean: “Only one Catherine O’Hara, and now none. Heartbreaking.”

Brooke Shields: “What an honor it was to be spoofed by Catherine O’Hara. What an unfathomable loss.”

Ron Howard: ”She was simply growing more brilliant with each year.”

Ellen DeGeneres: “Sending love to all who adored her, which might just be everyone.”

Lily Tomlin: ”Bright, beautiful, and full of joy that touched so many.”

Amy Sedaris: “Truly heart broken. Devastating. Catherine O’Hara was such an inspiration to me. I was obsessed with her and SCTV.  She could do anything.”

Rita Wilson: “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.”

Melanie Lynskey: “It was incredible to watch her work and be in her presence. I’ll never forget a minute of it. … I saw her be nothing short of wonderful to every single person she encountered, from the director to the PAs. When people say someone ‘lit up a room,’ this is what they mean. She was radiant; it was kind of otherworldly. Her talent was singular. There’s been nobody like her before and there won’t be again. What a genius. What a beautiful person.”

Tom Green: “Her characters brought so much joy and laughter to the world. … One of the greatest Canadian comedy icons of all time.”

Paul Hauser: “She was my Meryl Streep. I could watch her in anything. Didn’t matter how good or bad the film or show was. I wanted to see what she would do.”

Michael Bublé: “She wasn’t just a legendary artist, actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest sense: brilliant, fearless, deeply original, and so full of humanity. … She set the bar for what it means to represent your country with excellence and grace and all without ever losing warmth or humility.”

Josh Gad: “Goodbye legend. Thank you for making us laugh until we hurt… which is why right now we are all hurting so damned much knowing we will never again get those laughs.”

Ike Barinholtz: “So profoundly sad she’s somewhere else now. So incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her.”