Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death revealed

Catherine O’Hara died of a blood clot in her lungs.

While the iconic Hollywood actress‘ immediate cause of death was listed by Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office as a pulmonary embolism, rectal cancer was the underlying cause, TMZ reported Monday.

The “Schitt’s Creek” actress died on Jan. 30, with Creative Artists Agency confirming the news to Page Six, and that she had been suffering from a brief illness. She was 71.

At the time, the Los Angeles Fire Department told us exclusively that they responded to a call to her Los Angeles home at 4:48 a.m. local time before transporting her to the hospital in “serious” condition.

Although her condition before her death was unclear, O’Hara did suffer from a rare condition called situs inversus, in which the arrangement of the internal organs is a mirror image of normal anatomy, per NIH.

The condition is typically harmless, but it can make future complications difficult to diagnose because symptoms might appear differently in those with mirrored organs.

The star had a prolific career both on TV and in movies, which kick-started in 1974 after she graduated from high school in Toronto, Canada.

She famously went on to star in iconic movies like “Beetlejuice,” “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2,” as well as the TV show, “Schitt’s Creek.”

Most recently, she starred in the TV shows “The Last of Us,” alongside Pedro Pascal, and “The Studio” with Seth Rogen.

O’Hara was last seen publicly in October 2025 at the 2025 Angel Awards in Los Angeles.

She attended with her husband of 33 years, Bo Welch, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated production designer.

Catherine is survived by her husband, their two sons, Matthew and Luke, as well as her siblings, Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.