Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death confirmed
The cause of death for Home Alone actor Catherine O’Hara has been released.
The comedy star passed away on January 30th, aged 71, at her home in Los Angeles, in what was announced at the time as a brief illness with no further details given regarding the cause.
Now, after the LA County Department of Public Health released O’Hara’s death certificate on February 9th, it has emerged that the real cause of her death was a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as an underlying cause, per TMZ.
It was also confirmed that O’Hara’s body has now been cremated, with her remains given back to her husband, Bo Welch.
According to the NHS, a pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the lungs, with symptoms including difficulty in breathing, chest pain, and coughing up blood.
In addition, the general symptoms of bowel cancer, which encompasses rectal cancer, includes a range of gastric symptoms, such as changes in your poo, blood in the poo, stomach pain, and bloating.
Following the news of O’Hara’s untimely passing, tributes flooded in for her from across the entertainment world, not least from a range of former castmates from her roles in everything from Home Alone to Schitt’s Creek and The Studio.
Eugene and Dan Levy, who starred as her husband and son in the hit sitcom Schitt’s Creek from 2015 until 2020, both shared moving tributes to the actor, with the former having been a friend of O’Hara’s for more than 50 years.
Eugene Levy said: “From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.