Actor Eugene Levy expresses deep sorrow over the passing of his longtime friend and Schitt’s Creek co-star Catherine O’Hara, who died at age 71. Levy, 79, portrayed Johnny Rose, the on-screen husband to O’Hara’s iconic Moira Rose in the popular U.S. sitcom. He shares that he struggles to find words for the profound loss, as O’Hara passed away on Friday at her Los Angeles home following a brief illness.
Eugene Levy’s Heartfelt Tribute
In a poignant statement, Levy reflects on their decades-long collaboration. “Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honour of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over 50 years,” he says. “From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”
Dan Levy’s Personal Reflections
Levy’s son, Dan Levy, who co-created Schitt’s Creek and played the couple’s son David, describes O’Hara as family from the start. On Instagram, he posts: “What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years. Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it.” Dan adds that he will cherish every funny memory made with her.
Catherine O’Hara’s Illustrious Career
The Canadian-American actress earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role in Schitt’s Creek. She also gained fame for appearances in Home Alone and the Beetlejuice films. In 2024, O’Hara reprised her role as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, originally from the 1988 film.
Tributes from Hollywood Peers
Meryl Streep, who shared the screen with O’Hara in the 1986 comedy Heartburn, states: “Catherine O’Hara brought love and light to our world, through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed… such a loss for her family and friends, and the audience she graced as friends.”
Macaulay Culkin, O’Hara’s on-screen son in Home Alone (1990) and its 1992 sequel, shares an emotional Instagram message: “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.”
Michael Keaton, her co-star in the Beetlejuice series, recalls: “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. Man am I gonna miss her.” Alec Baldwin, from the original film, praises her as “one of the greatest comic talents in the movie business” with “a quality that was all her own.”
Seth Rogen, who worked with O’Hara in the Apple TV+ series The Studio—earning her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations—calls the news devastating. On Instagram, he writes: “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.”
More Voices from the Industry
Jennifer Robertson, O’Hara’s Schitt’s Creek co-star who played Jocelyn Schitt, posts a photo of them holding hands on Instagram: “Being in Catherine O’Hara’s orbit was a beautiful and magical gift. She was an absolute star who never understood why people made such a fuss over her. Catherine was truly one of a kind. Her passing is a loss for everyone who knew and loved her, and a loss for Canada. You will be deeply missed Catherine.”
Pedro Pascal, her co-star in the second season of The Last of Us, says: “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.”
Christopher Guest, director and co-star in films like Best in Show, states: “I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age.” Ben Stiller notes on X that it’s “hard to explain the impact she had on comedy.” Mike Myers calls it “a very sad day for comedy and for Canada,” hailing her as “one of the greatest comedy artists in history.”
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refers to her as a “beloved Canadian icon,” while current Premier Mark Carney adds: “Canada has lost a legend.” Carney’s statement emphasizes: “Over five decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy.”
O’Hara is survived by her husband Bo Welch and sons Matthew and Luke. Her family plans a private celebration of her life.
