I honestly didn’t want to believe the headlines when they first popped up last week, but seeing the official cause of death today just makes it feel all too real. Catherine O’Hara—the woman who raised us as the mom in Home Alone, terrified us (hilariously) in Beetlejuice, and gave us the absolute icon that is Moira Rose—is gone.
The details dropping today are just… heavy. The NYT and other outlets are confirming she passed from a pulmonary embolism, with an underlying battle with rectal cancer that she kept completely private.
She fought in silence, and that breaks my heart
Hearing that she was dealing with cancer while we were all just waiting for her next project is a massive punch to the gut. It reminds me of Chadwick Boseman. These absolute legends give us everything on screen, making us laugh and cry, while they’re fighting the hardest battles of their lives behind closed doors.
The shock factor: When the news broke on Jan 30 that she died after a “brief illness,” we were all confused. Now knowing it was a PE (blood clot in the lung) linked to cancer… it just feels so unfair.
The legacy: I don’t think I can watch Schitt’s Creek without crying for a while. “The bébé,” the wigs, the vocabulary—she didn’t just play a character; she created a cultural phenomenon.
Why this hits so hard
Catherine O’Hara wasn’t just a celebrity; she felt like that eccentric, hilarious aunt we all wished we had. Whether she was screaming “KEVIN!” or singing Danny Boy at a funeral, she brought this chaotic, beautiful energy that no one else could replicate.
We took her for granted. We thought we’d have her forever, making weird faces and winning Emmys.
Go watch Beetlejuice tonight. Go watch Best in Show. Just appreciate the genius she left us. We are never, ever getting another one like her.
Rest in Peace, Moira. You were positively bedeviling. 🖤🥀
