Schitt’s Creek star Sarah Levy has shared her devastation following the news of costar Catherine O’Hara’s death. O’Hara was 71.
Posting via Instagram on Friday, January 30, Sarah, 39, uploaded a photo in tribute and shared how the loss of the actress affected her.
“This one cuts deep. What an honor it has been to know and work with and love Catherine O’Hara,” Sarah wrote in the caption. “Cheers to all that you brought to this world — you will be so, so missed. ❤️”
Earlier on Friday, Sarah’s brother and Schitt’s Creek costar Dan Levy, 42, also spoke out to honor O’Hara in the wake of her passing. The siblings worked on the Emmy-winning series along with father Eugene Levy.
“What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years,” Dan wrote via Instagram. “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. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.”
Dan shared photos of the pair together over the years in the touching tribute and sent condolences to O’Hara’s loved ones.
He wrote, “My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and every member of her big, beautiful family.”
Schitt’s Creek ,which premiered in 2015, followed a wealthy family who suddenly lose their fortune and relocate to a town they once purchased as a joke. Johnny (Eugene), Moira (O’Hara) and their adult children — David (Dan) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) — subsequently have to adjust to a new normal without wealth. Sarah played Twyla Sands, a friendly waitress at Café Tropical in Schitt’s Creek.
Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy and Sarah Levy. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
News of O’Hara’s death broke on Friday with no cause of death immediately revealed. Her final public appearance was four months prior at the Emmys, where her show The Studio won four awards.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly on Friday that paramedics were called to O’Hara’s Brentwood home at 4:48 a.m. that morning for a medical aid call. O’Hara was then transported to a hospital in “serious condition.”
The Creative Arts Agency, who represented O’Hara, confirmed on Friday that the actress died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness.”
O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.
As well as playing Moira on Schitt’s Creek, the actress was best known for her iconic roles in Home Alone and Beetlejuice.
Several of O’Hara’s friends and former costars have paid tribute to the actress following her death.
“Mama. I thought we had time,” Macaulay Culkin, who played O’Hara’s son in the Home Alone franchise, wrote via Instagram on Friday alongside a photo of the pair. “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.”
