The forged of “Schitt’s Creek” are mourning the lack of Catherine O’Hara, who died Jan. 30 following a temporary illness. She was 71.
O’Hara portrayed exuberant matriach Moira Rose on the Canadian sitcom from 2015 to 2020, starring alongside Eugene Levy as Johnny Rose, Dan Levy as David Rose and Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose.
Dan Levy wrote on Instagram, “What a present to have gotten to bop in the nice and cozy glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years. Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was clan before she ever played my family. It’s hard to assume a world without her in it. I’ll cherish every funny memory I used to be fortunate enough to make along with her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and each member of her big, beautiful family.”
In “Schitt’s Creek,” the once-affluent Rose family falls into financial disaster and must move to the eponymous small town. The series also starred Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Sarah Levy and Chris Elliott.
Robertson told USA Today, “I’m deeply saddened to listen to we now have lost Catherine. Being in Catherine O’Hara’s orbit was a phenomenal, magical gift. She was absolute star who never understood why people made such a fuss about her. Her passing is a loss for everybody who knew and loved her. My deepest condolences to Bo, her sons, and the O’Hara family.”
Elliott, who played Roland Schitt, said in an announcement to USA Today, “Working along with her and Eugene was a dream come true for me – made all of the more special because Catherine was such a warm hearted, generous and humble human being. I’ll all the time remember the laughs we shared on screen and off, and I’ll always remember our fun shopping spree at Joe Fresh.”
Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy, Eugene Levy and Dan Levy in “Schitt’s Creek.”
Pop TV
“We’re devastated to learn of the passing of Catherine O’Hara, a beloved Canadian icon whose brilliance lit up screens and stages all over the world. From SCTV and Home Alone to her unforgettable portrayal of Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, Catherine brought unmatched talent and a rare and radiant spirit to every thing she touched,” CBC Television, which produced “Schitt’s Creek,” said in an announcement. “Along with her passing, a lightweight has gone out. We send our heartfelt condolences to Catherine’s family and friends. She might be perpetually missed.”
In the course of the show’s six-season run, O’Hara received a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Award, TCA Award and Critics Selection Award for her performance as Moira. “A proudly out-of-touch lady of leisure forced to rub elbows with the hoi polloi, Moira’s impractical outfits and fish-out-of-water frenzy helped crystallize the comedic contrast that was the series’ creative engine,” Variety TV critic Alison Herman wrote in her tribute piece.
Prior to “Schitt’s Creek,” O’Hara and Eugene Levy collaborated on multiple mockumentary movies with Christopher Guest, including “For Your Consideration,” “Best in Show, “Waiting for Guffman” and “A Mighty Wind.”
“I’m devastated. We have now lost considered one of the comic giants of our age,” Guest said of O’Hara in an announcement. “I send my like to her family.”
O’Hara’s other notable roles include Kate McCallister in the primary two “Home Alone” movies, Sally and Shock within the 1993 animated classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” movies.
See more tributes to O’Hara here.