Catherine O'Hara, the mother of 'Sun at Home', dies

BarcelonaCanadian actress Catherine O'Hara, known for playing the mother of Home AloneShe died today at the age of 71 after a brief illness, her representative confirmed. Known for her comedic work, the actress passed away at her home in Los Angeles. Among her most recent works was the series The StudioEmmy winner for best comedy, and the sequel to Beetlejuice

O'Hara began her acting career on a Canadian television sketch comedy show, a format for which she won her first Emmy. She later transitioned to film and became known for playing the mother of Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), the protagonist of the movie Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Shortly after the news of the actress's death broke, Macaulay Culkin paid tribute to his on-screen mother on Instagram, posting two photos: one from the film where they met and another from the ceremony where he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Mom, I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I was really listening, but I had so much more to say. I love you. See you later," Culkin wrote.

Although the character of Kate McCallister is surely the role for which most viewers remember her, O'Hara cultivated a filmography with other very popular titles, such as Beetlejuice, where she played Delia Deetz, the stepmother of the protagonist, played by Winona Ryder. In 2024, O'Hara reprised the role for the film's sequel. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

In recent years, the Canadian actress was experiencing a professional renaissance, especially following her participation in the comedy Schitt's CreekIn the Canadian-produced series, in which she co-starred with one of her close friends, Eugene Levy, she played Moira Rose, an eccentric, down-on-her-luck former soap opera star. For this role, she won both the Emmy and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020. Following her resurgence thanks to this series, O'Hara found refuge in television, the medium where she began her career. She was currently part of the cast of one of the most popular comedies of the moment. The Studio (AppleTV+), for which she was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In the series, which recently began filming its second season, O'Hara played a studio executive at a major film studio who is replaced by a younger, more artistically ambitious colleague.

Another of her recent television projects was the series The Last of Uswhere she had appeared as a guest actress playing a therapist who treats the protagonist, played by Pedro Pascal. In fact, the Chilean actor was one of the first to remember his co-star. In an Instagram post, he said: "How wonderful to be close to you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in the world, that world that was lucky enough to have you and that will always remember you, always."