Catherine O’Hara’s longtime stylist will always remember the late actress’ authentic joy and kindness away from any cameras.
“Catherine uplifted us in a world that usually tears us down,” O’Hara’s stylist Andrew Gelwicks wrote in a private essay for Vogue published on Tuesday, February 3. “That, to me, was her biggest talent — even greater than the brilliance of her performances: her unique ability to make us fall in love along with her and, by doing so, make us feel less alone.”
For nearly 10 years, Gelwicks would work alongside O’Hara, 71, to make sure that she landed on the Best Dressed list after her red carpet appearances.
Over time, Gelwicks said the pair formed a relationship “built on trust, creativity and friendship.”
“In an industry built on the tenets of recent, now, next, she showed unparalleled loyalty and at all times made it known she was appreciative,” the stylist shared. “In contrast to much of the world we experience today, Catherine personified real kindness, warmth, love, humor and joy. It poured out of her. Wherever she went, she made people feel special and seen. She was a nurturer, a trait reflected in the various beloved characters she played throughout the years.
News broke on Friday, January 30, that O’Hara had died on the age of 71 following “a temporary illness.” Her official reason behind death has yet to be revealed.
In keeping with Creative Artists Agency, a personal celebration of life might be held by the family at a later date.
During her 50-year profession in Hollywood, the actress brought the laughs in shows like The Studio and Schitt’s Creek. She also found success on the massive screen in movies like Beetlejuice and the primary two Home Alone movies.
Catherine O’Hara Michael Tran / AFP
In her private life, O’Hara enjoyed spending time along with her family, including husband Bo Welch and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.
“I’m with my family as much as I could be,” O’Hara once told 519 Magazine in August 2019. “In deciding what work I’d become involved in for my whole working life, my family’s at all times come first. I even have two sons, and once they were babies, I assumed what’s the purpose? What’s the purpose of getting children if I’m not going to be with them, in order that was at all times primary consideration and at all times might be.”
When recalling his very first photo shoot with O’Hara nearly a decade ago, Gelwicks described a lady who “not only saw me” but additionally “embraced me.”
“She didn’t care that I used to be recent or that I didn’t have another actors of her caliber on my roster,” he explained. “She cared about connection, trust, joy, delight.”
O’Hara’s final red carpet appearance before her death got here in September 2025 on the 2025 Emmys. On the time, Gelwicks posted a photo via Instagram of the actress attending a celebration in a glance he styled.
“It should come as no surprise that she never cared about what designer she was wearing, the season it was from or whether anyone had worn it before,” Gelwicks wrote. “She was drawn to what made her smile and laugh, what she would genuinely have fun wearing.”
He added, “I loved being Catherine’s warrior. I loved trying to find the one piece that was worthy of her elegance and brilliance. It was each a badge of honor and armor as I discovered my voice on this noisy industry.”