Officials and media sources reportedly confirmed Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death after widespread speculation followed her passing. They revealed new details about the beloved actress’s final days and the medical conditions that led to her death.
What happened to Catherine O’Hara?
Catherine O’Hara died in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026, at the age of 71. Her representatives confirmed that she passed “following a brief illness.” According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the official cause of death was a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as the underlying cause.
TMZ reported that O’Hara had been receiving treatment for rectal cancer since March 2025. She had last appeared publicly at the 2025 Emmy Awards in September, where she was a double nominee for her roles in The Studio and The Last of Us. O’Hara withdrew from public engagements weeks before her passing, as she did not attend the 2026 Golden Globes, where she had received another nomination.
She previously revealed that she had dextrocardia with situs inversus, a rare condition in which the heart and organs are positioned on the opposite side of the body. “I love Western medicine, I just don’t want to be a part of it,” she joked during a 2021 interview, explaining that her diagnosis came later in life due to avoiding doctor visits.
In a 2024 interview on the Wiser Than Me podcast, O’Hara reflected on aging, saying her favorite part of being 70 was “being alive.” She told Elle Canada, “I rarely look in the mirror. I feel that now, stories about people my age usually have to do with death and divorce and disease.”
Macaulay Culkin wrote, “Mama. I thought we had time… I love you. I’ll see you later.” Dan Levy said, “It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it.”
Seth Rogen called working with her “a true honour,” while Michael Keaton said, “She’s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend.”
