Catherine O’Hara’s friend Kelly Lynch shares somber glimpse of celebration of life after cause of death reveal

A friend of Catherine O’Hara recently shared details about her memorial service, which was held on Monday. This came just over two weeks after the beloved actress passed away on January 30th at the age of 71.

Kelly Lynch shared a photo on Instagram of the program given to people at the memorial service for O’Hara, which was held earlier this month.

The 67-year-old actor also read a short, sad poem written by Raymond Carver shortly before he passed away from cancer.

Her update on O’Hara’s memorial came shortly after O’Hara’s cause of death was revealed.

Kelly Lynch, famous for her roles in films like Cocktail with Tom Cruise (1988) and Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze (1989), showed off the event program. It included a young, black-and-white photo of O’Hara.

The Schitt’s Creek actor wore a cheerleader-inspired outfit, including a school-style sweater and a plaid miniskirt.

She beamed at the camera, playfully framing her face with her hands like she was posing for a movie. Her hair danced in the wind.

She wrote a heartfelt ‘Rest in peace, dear Catherine 💔,’ and then shared a poem by Carver, aptly named ‘Late Fragment’.

The poem, which consists of just six lines, features someone questioning another person about whether they achieved their goals in life. It then suggests that any struggles were worthwhile simply for the experience of being loved.

Lynch posted a recent photo of O’Hara relaxing under a palm tree in the Hollywood Hills while chatting with Seth Rogen for his show, The Studio. He also shared an older, black-and-white picture of O’Hara smiling and casually dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, sitting on the bumper of a Lincoln.

Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death has been revealed days after her passing shocked Hollywood.

Catherine O’Hara, famous for her work in the movie Home Alone and the TV series Schitt’s Creek, passed away on January 30th at the age of 71.

According to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office obtained by TMZ, the actress died from a blood clot in her lungs.

O’Hara died from a blood clot in the lungs, which was a complication of his existing rectal cancer.

This is the first time it has been claimed that the Hollywood icon had cancer. 

A pulmonary embolism (PE) happens when a blood clot, most often originating from a deep vein in the leg or pelvis (a condition called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT), travels to the lungs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Several things can increase your risk, including surgery, being inactive for a long time, cancer, pregnancy, hormone treatments, and smoking.

Rectal cancer begins as a growth of cells in the rectum, which is the final part of your large intestine, according to the Mayo Clinic. It extends from the end of the colon to the anus.

She was diagnosed with a rare condition called dextrocardia with situs inversus, which means her heart is located on the right side of her chest.

Soon after O’Hara died, her family said that the star suffered from a ‘brief illness’.

Just before 5am on the day she died, paramedics were called to the actress’s home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, after reports that she was seriously ill.

She passed away in a hospital in the city.

It just…it broke my heart when I saw the news. Bo, her husband, and their sweet boys, Matthew and Luke, put out a statement, and then they had a small, private thing to remember her. It felt so…intimate, like they needed to grieve together, just the family. I wish I could have been there to pay my respects, but I understand. It was just…so sad.

She was last publicly seen at the Angel Awards gala, held at the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica on October 16 of last year. The gala is a key fundraising event for Upward Bound House.

According to a source who spoke with the Daily Mail, the celebrity looked noticeably thin. While her face appeared quite slender, she was still beautiful and naturally striking. She wore a loose-fitting, green pinstriped suit that concealed her figure, but she still maintained a glamorous appearance.

‘She seemed to be in great spirits, however, and was very friendly and upbeat and lovely.’

The famous actor grew up in Toronto, Canada, as one of seven kids. She first got involved in acting when she played the role of Mary in a school Nativity play.

After graduating high school, O’Hara got a job as a waitress at Toronto’s Second City Theater, where she served customers like Dan Aykroyd and Joe Flaherty.

Speaking to People in 2024, the actress said: ‘I was lucky enough to watch everybody.’

O’Hara started working at the company in 1974, but she later admitted she always felt nervous when performing on stage.

In a 2019 interview with The New Yorker, she explained that when she felt stuck during improvisational performances, she would often play a character who was mentally unstable. This allowed her to say anything without needing to explain or justify it, as the character’s illogical behavior excused it all.

Let me tell you, one of the biggest breaks in this star’s career came with a spot on Second City Television – a hilarious sketch show that aired on NBC back in the 80s. That’s where she really started to shine! She quickly became known for her incredible ability to mimic other people, and her impressions of celebrities like Meryl Streep and Brooke Shields were absolutely spot-on. People couldn’t get enough!

In 1980, O’Hara began her film career, appearing in Double Negative with actors like John Candy and Eugene Levy.

In the popular 1988 film Beetlejuice, she played Delia Deetz, the stepmother to Winona Ryder’s character, Lydia, and the movie was a major box office hit.

And in 1990, she played Macaulay Culkin’s on-screen mom in Home Alone.

Macaulay Culkin’s co-star, Kieran Culkin, who appeared again in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’, recently told People magazine, ‘It’s a truly great movie, don’t you think?’

She also starred in the films Best in Show (2000 and 2003), A Mighty Wind, and the Beetlejuice sequel coming out in 2024.

Catherine O’Hara received an Emmy Award in 2020 for her leading role in the popular sitcom Schitt’s Creek, co-created by Eugene and Daniel Levy.

In her acceptance speech, O’Hara—who had already received a Golden Globe and a SAG Award—expressed her gratitude to Eugene and Daniel Levy for giving her the chance to portray a woman her own age who could truly be herself.

O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo, and their sons, Matthew and Luke.

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2026-02-18 18:23