{"id":555353,"date":"2026-01-31T03:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/555353\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T03:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:10:14","slug":"macaulay-culkin-mourns-home-alone-mom-catherine-ohara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/555353\/","title":{"rendered":"Macaulay Culkin mourns ‘Home Alone’ mom Catherine O’Hara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Macaulay Culkin is paying tribute to his \u201cHome Alone\u201d co-star Catherine O\u2019Hara following her death<\/a> at age 71. <\/p>\n

O\u2019Hara died Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness, her agent confirmed. Following the news, Culkin mourned his movie mom on social media<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cMama. I thought we had time,\u201d the actor wrote. \u201cI wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you. But I had so much more to say,\u201d he continued. \u201cI love you. I\u2019ll see you later.\u201d <\/p>\n

O\u2019Hara played the frazzled yet fierce Kate McCallister, mother to quick-witted troublemaker Kevin McCallister, in the iconic \u201cHome Alone\u201d (1990) and its sequel \u201cHome Alone 2: Lost in New York\u201d (1992). The films launched Culkin to fame and have become bona fide Christmas classics, whose emotional core lies in the palpable chemistry between Culkin and O\u2019Hara. <\/p>\n

The pair reunited in 2023, when O\u2019Hara honored Culkin at the latter\u2019s Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony, praising the \u201csweet, yet twisted, yet totally relatable sense of humor\u201d that helped him survive his early launch into the spotlight. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason families all over the world can\u2019t let a year go by without watching and loving \u2018Home Alone\u2019 together is because of Macaulay Culkin,\u201d O\u2019Hara said in her speech<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for including me \u2014 your fake mom who left you home alone not once, but twice \u2014 to share in this happy occasion,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

News of O\u2019Hara\u2019s death brought tributes from the actor\u2019s film and TV industry peers, including her collaborators from over the years. <\/p>\n

Dan Levy, who co-created and co-starred in \u201cSchitt\u2019s Creek\u201d with his father, Eugene Levy, said his TV mom was \u201cextended family before she ever played my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O\u2019Hara\u2019s brilliance for all those years. Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family,\u201d he wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seth Rogen, who recently teamed up with O\u2019Hara on the Emmy-winning comedy \u201cThe Studio,\u201d said in an Instagram<\/a> post that she was among his earliest inspirations. <\/p>\n

\u201cI told O\u2019Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I\u2019d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen,\u201d Rogen said, citing \u201cHome Alone\u201d as \u201cthe movie that made me want to make movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting to work with her was a true honour,\u201d the actor, who co-created, directed and stars in the series, continued. \u201cShe was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous\u2026 she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Other members of \u201cThe Studio\u201d crew also honored their late co-star. <\/p>\n

Ike Barinholtz, who plays chaotic exec Sal Saperstein in \u201cThe Studio,\u201d captioned an Instagram<\/a> photo of him and O\u2019Hara: \u201cI never in a million years thought I would get to work with Catherine O\u2019Hara let alone become friends with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo profoundly sad she\u2019s somewhere else now,\u201d Barinholtz added. \u201cSo incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ron Howard, who made a guest appearance as himself in the show, called O\u2019Hara \u201ca wonderful person, artist and collaborator.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI was lucky enough to direct, produce and act in projects with her and she was simply growing more brilliant with each year,\u201d the filmmaker wrote Friday on X<\/a>. O\u2019Hara appeared in Howard\u2019s 1992 dramedy \u201cThe Paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Hara\u2019s fellow \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d alum Michael Keaton also mourned the late actor, tracing their relationship back to well before the beloved Tim Burton movie. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend,\u201d Keaton wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cThis one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin Theroux, who joined O\u2019Hara in 2024\u2019s \u201cBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,\u201d also wrote on Instagram<\/a>, \u201cOh Catherine. You will be so missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burton himself memorialized O\u2019Hara with a cast photo from the \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d sequel. <\/p>\n

\u201cCatherine, I love you. This picture shows how much light you gave to all of us. You were a special part of my life and after life,\u201d the venerated director captioned the shot on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Martin Scorsese, who directed O\u2019Hara in \u201cAfter Hours,\u201d said in a statement to IndieWire<\/a> that her loss feels \u201cimpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCatherine was a true comic genius, a true artist and a wonderful human being. I was blessed to be able to work with her on \u2018After Hours,\u2019 and I\u2019m going to miss her presence and her artistry. We all are,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHome Alone\u201d director Chris Columbus said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter that he was \u201cheartbroken, along with the rest of the world,\u201d upon learning O\u2019Hara had died. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was an obsessive fan of Catherine\u2019s brilliant comedic work on \u2018SCTV\u2019 and was thrilled when she agreed to play Kevin\u2019s mom in \u2018Home Alone,\u2019\u201d Columbus said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat most people don\u2019t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth,\u201d he added. \u201cI will miss her greatly. Yet there is a small sense of comfort, realizing that two of the finest human beings I\u2019ve ever known, Catherine and John Candy, are together again, brilliantly improvising, making each other laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meryl Streep, who acted with O\u2019Hara in the romantic comedy \u201cHeartburn,\u201d said in a statement to the Associated Press<\/a> that O\u2019Hara \u201cbrought love and light to our world, through whipsmart compassion for the collection of eccentrics she portrayed.\u201d <\/p>\n

Andrea Martin told the outlet that her fellow \u201cSCTV\u201d cast member \u201cis and will always be the greatest. It is an honor to have called her my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pedro Pascal, who worked with O\u2019Hara on the sophomore season of \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d said on Instagram<\/a> that he was thankful the two crossed paths. <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful,\u201d Pascal said. \u201cThere is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melanie Lynskey, who featured in the first season of \u201cThe Last of Us,\u201d called O\u2019Hara \u201cthe pinnacle of greatness\u201d in her own social media salute<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo grateful I got to tell her what she meant to me- how she inspired me, shaped my sense of humour and understanding of the work we do,\u201d Lynskey wrote. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure every actor she met told her similar things. She did not behave as though she\u2019d heard it a million times, she listened and accepted it with grace and wit and tremendous kindness,\u201d the Emmy nominee added. <\/p>\n

Lynskey recalled interacting with O\u2019Hara at a 2013 Live Read<\/a> of \u201cGlengarry Glen Ross\u201d and while filming Sam Mendes\u2019 2009 romantic comedy \u201cAway We Go.\u201d<\/p>\n

During both stints, Lynskey said, \u201cI saw [O\u2019Hara] be nothing short of wonderful to every single person she encountered, from the director to the PAs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people say someone \u2018lit up a room,\u2019 this is what they mean,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Last of Us\u201d showrunner Craig Mazin said on Instagram<\/a>, \u201cI think [O\u2019Hara] would prefer that we keep laughing somehow, or at the very least not cry. Not possible at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others in the industry hailed O\u2019Hara as a generational actor who shined in everything she touched. <\/p>\n

\u201cCatherine O\u2019Hara changed how so many of us understand comedy and humanity. From the chaos and heart of \u2018Home Alone\u2019 to the unforgettable precision of Moira Rose in \u2018Schitt\u2019s Creek,\u2019 she created characters we\u2019ll rewatch again and again,\u201d Kevin Nealon, who, alongside O\u2019Hara, led the claymation sitcom \u201cGlenn Martin, DDS,\u201d wrote on X<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Josh Gad, who worked with O\u2019Hara on the animated comedy series \u201cCentral Park,\u201d expressed his disbelief at her death on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is the world such a heart breaking place right now? I truly cannot process how to say goodbye to someone so full of life who seemed to just be hitting her prime,\u201d Gad said. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye legend. Thank you for making us laugh until we hurt\u2026 which is why right now we are all hurting so damned much knowing we will never again get those laughs,\u201d the \u201cFrozen\u201d voice actor added. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one Catherine O\u2019Hara, and now none. Heartbreaking,\u201d echoed actor-comedian Michael McKean, who worked with the late actor on the mockumentaries \u201cBest in Show,\u201d \u201cFor Your Consideration,\u201d \u201cWaiting for Guffman\u201d and \u201cA Mighty Wind.\u201d <\/p>\n

O\u2019Hara\u2019s fellow \u201cBartok the Magnificent\u201d voice actor Hank Azaria called her death \u201ca profound loss.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cComedy will never be the same without Catherine O\u2019Hara. An inspiration to us all, especially little Bartok,\u201d Azaria captioned a social media clip<\/a> featuring O\u2019Hara\u2019s character, Ludmilla, in the animated film. <\/p>\n

Rita Wilson in an Instagram<\/a> tribute called her \u201ca woman who was authentic and truthful in all she did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saw it in her work, if you knew her you saw it in her life, and you saw it in her family,\u201d the seasoned actor said, offering condolences to O\u2019Hara\u2019s husband Bo Welch and their two children. <\/p>\n

As Ellen DeGeneres put it on Instagram<\/a>, \u201cSending love to all who adored her, which might just be everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actor and professional wrestler Paul Walter Hauser called O\u2019Hara \u201cmy Meryl Streep.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI could watch her in anything. Didn\u2019t matter how good or bad the film or show was. I wanted to see what she would do,\u201d Hauser wrote on Instagram<\/a>, citing the actor\u2019s work in \u201cAfter Hours,\u201d \u201cWaiting for Guffman\u201d and \u201cBest in Show,\u201d among other projects. <\/p>\n

\u201cA freaking angel just went home to Heaven. And she\u2019s not home alone,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n