Los Angeles County officials have identified the cause of death for actor Catherine O'Hara, who died late last month after being hospitalized in Los Angeles.
According to a death certificate obtained by People, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health determined that O'Hara died from a pulmonary embolism.
Rectal cancer was listed as the underlying condition that led to the embolism. The certificate also indicated that O'Hara was cremated.
O'Hara, 71, was transported to a hospital on Jan. 30 after experiencing breathing difficulties at her residence in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, The Guardian reported.
She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. At the time, her representative confirmed her death to People, stating that she had died "after a brief illness," without elaborating further.
Born in Toronto in 1954, O'Hara grew up as the second youngest in a family of seven children. Her father was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, and her mother worked as a real estate agent.
She began performing early in life, appearing in a Nativity play as the Virgin Mary. Following high school, she took a job as a waitress at Toronto's Second City Theater, where she became involved in comedy and performance.
O'Hara later established a long-running career in film and television, including several collaborations with director Christopher Guest.
Her first appearance in one of his mockumentaries came in 1996 with "Waiting for Guffman." She went on to appear in "Best in Show" in 2000 and "A Mighty Wind" in 2003, which featured musical performances alongside Eugene Levy.
In 2006, she appeared in "For Your Consideration," another Guest project.
In 2015, O'Hara reunited with Levy for the television series "Schitt's Creek," created by his son, Daniel Levy.
Her role on "Schitt's Creek" brought widespread recognition. In 2020, O'Hara received the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.
During her acceptance speech, she said in part, "I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age — my age — who gets to fully be herself."
She also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the series.
In addition to her work on "Schitt's Creek," O'Hara appeared in television programs including "Six Feet Under," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "30 Rock."
She earned an Emmy nomination for her performance in the 2010 television film "Temple Grandin."
Her voice acting credits included "Frankenweenie," "The Addams Family," and "Elemental."
In 2024, she appeared in the action film "Argylle" and in the second season of "The Last of Us."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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