The entertainment industry is grieving the loss of acclaimed actress Catherine O’Hara, who has died at age 71.
Her manager confirmed her passing on Friday, though no cause of death has been disclosed.
O’Hara, who most recently appeared in The Studio alongside Seth Rogen, was honored by colleagues from the series following the news.
A representative for Rogen shared a statement from the show’s team, which said, “We are at a loss for words at the passing of our friend Catherine O’Hara. She was a hero to all of us, and we pinched ourselves every day that we got to work with her on The Studio.”
In his own post, Rogen wrote: “I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honour. 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.”
Macaulay Culkin, who starred alongside O’Hara in the 1990 hit Home Alone as her on-screen son Kevin McCallister, paid tribute to her on Instagram, referring to her as his “mama.”
“Mama. I thought we had time,” Culkin wrote. “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.”
His post featured side-by-side images from the Home Alone set and a more recent photo taken in December 2023, when O’Hara attended Culkin’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony.
Pedro Pascal also honored the late actress, sharing a photo of the two together and expressing his gratitude in a heartfelt caption.
“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 ♥️,” he wrote. “The one and ONLY #CatherineOHara.”
Tim Burton, who directed O’Hara in “Beetlejuice,” posted a tribute on Facebook featuring a behind-the-scenes photo from Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice with O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega.
Alongside the image, Burton wrote, “Catherine, I love you. This picture shows how much light you gave to all of us. You were a special part of my life and afterlife.”
Actor and filmmaker Ron Howard, who recently collaborated with O’Hara on The Studio, also shared his memories of the star, calling her a “wonderful person.”
“This is shattering news. What a wonderful person, artist and collaborator. I was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year,” Howard wrote on X. “My heart goes out to Bo & family. #RIPCatherineO’Hara.”
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