Macaulay Culkin has led the emotional tributes to his late Home Alone co-star Catherine O’Hara, who has died aged 71.
The news of her passing was confirmed yesterday (January 30) by her manager, who said she died at home in Los Angeles after a brief illness. She was known as a master of comedy, appearing in films such as After Hours, Beetlejuice and Best In Show, as well as starring roles in Schitt’s Creek, The Studio and The Last Of Us on television.
O’Hara played Kate, the mother of Culkin’s character Kevin, who accidentally leaves him behind in Chicago when the family goes on holiday to Paris in the 1990 Christmas classic, and they reappeared on screen together for the 1992 sequel Home Alone: Lost In New York.
The pair had remained close ever since, with Culkin revealing to the The New York Times in 2024 that he still called O’Hara “mom” and and she called him “son”.
In a post on Instagram, Culkin wrote: “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.” He also shared photos of the pair in the film as well as a more recent one of them from when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2023.
In the comments, he added: “I’m mad about this…”
At the ceremony in 2023, O’Hara gave a speech about watching Culkin evolve as an actor as he grew into a man.
“Home Alone was, is and always will be a beloved global sensation … the reason families all over the world can’t let a year go by without watching and loving Home Alone together is because of Macaulay Culkin,” she said.
“Thank you for including me, your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice, to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you.”
Culkin is among many names from the entertainment world sharing their tributes to O’Hara.
Others include Home Alone director Chris Columbus, who wrote: “I’m stunned and heartbroken, along with the rest of the world. I was an obsessive fan of Catherine’s brilliant comedic work on SCTV and was thrilled when she agreed to play Kevin’s Mom in ‘Home Alone’.”
“What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth. I will miss her greatly. Yet there is a small sense of comfort, realizing that two of the finest human beings I’ve ever known, Catherine and John Candy, are together again, brilliantly improvising, making each other laugh.
Michael Keaton, who starred with O’Hara in Beetlejuice and its 2024 sequel, also said: “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. Thinking about Beau as well.”
One of her last major roles was as the outgoing Hollywood studio executive Patty Leigh in Apple TV‘s The Studio last year. That show’s creator Seth Rogen posted on Instagram: “Really don’t know what to say… 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. ”
Pedro Pascal, who appeared alongside O’Hara in The Last Of Us, shared a photograph of them with the 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. The one and ONLY Catherine O’Hara.”
John Grant said in his tribute that O’Hara’s passing is “the worst one i’ve experienced next to my mother’s death”.
“Felt like a punch in the throat. She’s simply another one of those humans I can’t imagine the world without. I guarantee you Catherine probably pulled millions of people back from the brink with her incredible talent and of course she will continue to,” he wrote. “She certainly has enriched my life ever since i first came across her in Beetlejuice or SCTV decades ago. Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Last of Us, The Studio, Schitt’s Creek!!!!!, The Nightmare Before Christmas, After Hours!!!, A Mighty Wind just to name a few of my favorites from what is nothing short of an astounding body of work.
Gesturing to the picture in his post, he continued: “The pic above is a still from For Your Consideration which I think is actually my favorite performance of hers in a Christopher Guest film. Her monologue at the end in which she addresses her acting students is so incredible. (Funny as hell of course, but at the same time exceedingly tragic) But then she was incredible in every single role she played. She will always be remembered as one of the greatest of the great. Absolutely devastating news.”
Meanwhile, Rita Wilson called 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.”
Josh Gad admitted that “I don’t understand what I’m seeing. I can’t bring myself to believe she is gone,” in his own tribute.
“Why is the world such a heart breaking place right now? I truly cannot process how to say goodbye to someone so full of life who seemed to just be hitting her prime.
“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. RIP. My love and deepest condolences go out to her entire family.”
Devin Ratray, who played Buzz McAllister in the Home Alone franchise, said on Instagram he was “bewildered and numb” by the loss of “one of the greatest people I ever met” and the news “just doesn’t register”.
Check out more tributes below:
Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Catherine O’Hara was one of a kind. A rare light in this world and her passing hits with a weight I can’t fully put into words.
She wasn’t just a legendary artist,
actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest… pic.twitter.com/06jGk7OyCP— Michael Bublé (@MichaelBuble) January 30, 2026
Catherine O’Hara changed how so many of us understand comedy and humanity. From the chaos and heart of Home Alone to the unforgettable precision of Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, she created characters we’ll rewatch again and again.
— Kevin Nealon (@kevin_nealon) January 30, 2026
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. My heart goes out to Bo & family. #RIPCatherineO’Hara https://t.co/7pWcpYARai
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) January 30, 2026
Catherine O’Hara. My goodness. Hard to explain the impact she had on comedy. For me, no one better. She was generational. Since SCTV she has been brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant. Funniest ever. Man. We lost a great. A true great. Sending love to Bo Welch and her family. So sad we…
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) January 30, 2026
What a bright and beautiful light. Catherine O’Hara. 🍁 pic.twitter.com/KMFfEP9bXK
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 31, 2026
What an honor it was to be spoofed by Catherine O’Hara. What an unfathomable loss. We love you, Catherine. Comedy won’t be the same without her. Sending love to Catherine’s family, friends, castmates, and fans today. Truly beloved. pic.twitter.com/ucUYTj8zmm
— Brooke Shields (@BrookeShields) January 30, 2026
Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Catherine O’Hara was one of a kind. A rare light in this world and her passing hits with a weight I can’t fully put into words.
She wasn’t just a legendary artist,
actor and comedian. She was an ambassador for Canada in the truest… pic.twitter.com/06jGk7OyCP— Michael Bublé (@MichaelBuble) January 30, 2026
From SCTV to Home Alone to her unforgettable role as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek, Catherine O’Hara was a beloved Canadian icon with a rare gift for comedy and heart. She made people laugh across generations and helped bring Canadian storytelling to the world in a way only she… pic.twitter.com/tO72Xy3yqp
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 30, 2026