The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » SCTV Great & Schitt's Creek Star Catherine O'Hara Dies At 71

RadioActive · January 30, 2026 2:32 pm

She was one of Canada's best and most hilarious stars. Catherine O'Hara, who rose to fame on SCTV and in movies like Home Alone, has passed away. There's no immediate word on the cause of her death, beyond her having suffered a "brief illness."

But it comes as a shock since she always seemed much younger than her age. Her list of TV and movie credits goes on for pages on the IMDB site and nearly all of them were memorable, with her first one listed as "Cathy O"Hara" in an early Wayne & Shuster show way back in 1975.

The beloved Canuck comic legend was just 71.

Catherine O'Hara, Schitt’s Creek Star and Comedy Legend, Dies at 71

RadioActive · January 30, 2026 2:57 pm

Here she is as Lola Heatherton with most of the SCTV cast in 1981. Incredible.

RadioActive · January 30, 2026 3:09 pm

And here's an all too brief recap of some of her most famous roles from IMDB.

Binson Echorec · January 30, 2026 4:16 pm

Sad to hear the news. SCTV is a big influence of mine.

I'm sure (distant?) cousin Ben O'Hara-Byrne will have some family stories on his next show.

Last edited by Binson Echorec (January 30, 2026 4:27 pm)

Listener · January 31, 2026 7:12 am

Catherine O'Hara was one of my favourite Canadian comedians! If ever one needed a good laugh...tune in to Catherine O'Hara! I never missed one episode of 'Schitts Creek'. She will certainly be missed!

Shorty Wave · January 31, 2026 9:07 am

Such a Canadian icon. The last thing I watched her in was “The Studio” just a few months ago, she was great as always, and the first thing I watched her in was SCTV, like many of us, and she was great back then as well. I can still see her singing “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” from Beetlejuice, she’s possessed in the scene and just bursts into the song at dinner, still love that scene, very funny! You know the one.

They said she had a brief illness so I hope she didn’t suffer. R.I.P. Ms. O’Hara, and thanks for the laughs, of which there were many!

mic'em · January 31, 2026 10:19 am

Another role she played recently was in the second season of The Last of Us, RIP Catherine.

paterson1 · January 31, 2026 12:05 pm

Her characters on SCTV were all memorable and funny. Lola Heatherton, Dusty Towne, Violet McKay and impressions of Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Hepburn, Brooke Shields and Rona Barrett all bang on.

Her first appearance on TV was on a sketch with Wayne and Shuster in 1975, SCTV came in 1976. She first joined Second City in 1974 starting out as a waitress in their restaurant.

Thanks for the laughs and happy memories Catherine.

paterson1 · February 3, 2026 1:25 pm

A real thoughtful and personal article from Bill Brioux...Catherine O’Hara 1954 – 2026 – brioux.tv

RadioActive · February 4, 2026 5:33 pm

You might think that O'Hara's passing would inspire some streaming service to resurrect SCTV, but alas, no sign of it anywhere. I'd love to watch full episodes again, even if they might seem a bit dated.

Perhaps it's a rights issue. Either way, the vaults remain sealed.

As Fans Mourn Catherine O’Hara, ‘SCTV’ Is Nowhere To Be Streamed

Retrontario · February 4, 2026 5:44 pm

Always been rights issues... different seasons broadcast by Global, CBC, Superchannel, Cinemax, etc...

torontomike · February 4, 2026 7:08 pm

This might also help explain why the SCTV reunion by Scorsese is MIA. Two founding SCTV members who attended that reunion have now passed.

Binson Echorec · February 4, 2026 7:11 pm

torontomike wrote:
This might also help explain why the SCTV reunion by Scorsese is MIA. Two founding SCTV members who attended that reunion have now passed.

I was fortunate enough to attend that event.

RadioActive · February 4, 2026 9:00 pm

Retrontario wrote:
Always been rights issues... different seasons broadcast by Global, CBC, Superchannel, Cinemax, etc...

If that's the case, it's incredibly sad and frustrating. Those shows were veritable gems of comedy, with some future stars doing amazing work early in their careers, material that people still remember fondly today. As the article notes, there are only bits and pieces of it on YouTube and no complete show seems to exist.

To see this pioneering comedy show left in the vaults possibly in perpetuity is almost criminal.

I will never forget "Night School High-Q," a take-off on Reach For The Top. It's still hilarious.

cash · February 4, 2026 9:02 pm

Retrontario wrote:
Always been rights issues... different seasons broadcast by Global, CBC, Superchannel, Cinemax, etc...

I remember it was on the Comedy channel for years.

Listener · February 5, 2026 5:37 am

RadioActive wrote:
You might think that O'Hara's passing would inspire some streaming service to resurrect SCTV, but alas, no sign of it anywhere. I'd love to watch full episodes again, even if they might seem a bit dated.

Perhaps it's a rights issue. Either way, the vaults remain sealed.

As Fans Mourn Catherine O’Hara, ‘SCTV’ Is Nowhere To Be Streamed

I would love for it would be put back on the air. We need more laughter in our lives!!

Binson Echorec · February 5, 2026 10:52 am

A few DVD compilations have made it to market but there has never been a "complete" set to my knowledge, for the reason of rights as mentioned by others. I believe they are all out of print currently.

https://www.sctvguide.ca/episodes/sctvdvd.htm
I have the box set of Volumes 1-4 and rights issues meant music changes for some of the episodes (a la WKRP).

RadioActive · February 6, 2026 5:39 pm

Here's a further explanation of what happened to SCTV and why it's so hard to find.

"A company called Western International Communications Ltd. acquired the distribution rights in the 1990s, including the Cinemax run of the show, titled SCTV Channel. According to SCTV Guide, the show was then re-edited, combining sketches from across the show’s history into single installments, a move that made the series far more difficult to follow in its original chronological order.

To further complicate matters, unresolved music-rights issues have forced distributors to re-dub or remove certain sketches altogether. That has meant the loss of many segments built around musical parodies or contemporary hits, which once made up a substantial part of the series."

Where Can You Watch ‘SCTV’? The Answer is Complicated

Shorty Wave · February 7, 2026 9:55 am

Netflix added most of Christopher Guest’s movies this week, which all star Catherine O’Hara. So last night I watched (again) “A Mighty Wind” and had a good laugh! O’Hara and Levy are a great team and the cast was good as always, the usual Guest gang! Tonight I might watch “Best in Show” since there isn’t much else on……!

paterson1 · February 7, 2026 11:00 am

eTalk did a nice half hour special last evening on Catherine O'Hara. Lots of clips of her movies, TV work and interviews. All of the hosts from eTalk seated in a half circle with their many memories of meeting and interviewing Catherine over a long and successful career. It was also interesting since O'Hara talked about her start in Toronto, so the special was more locally oriented. Also highlighted her many collaborations with Eugene Levy.

Hansa · February 7, 2026 2:06 pm

Hopefully, Martin Scorsese will finish his SCTV documentary (which includes an on-stage reunion filmed a few years ago) before any more SCTV alum, or Scorsese himself, pass away.

RadioActive · February 9, 2026 5:20 pm

We now know the official cause of O'Hara's death.

Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism. Cancer was the underlying cause

Binson Echorec · February 12, 2026 10:10 pm

Wonderful if true:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sctv/s/lgjMwclQQ1

Shorty Wave · February 13, 2026 8:43 am

Binson Echorec wrote:
Wonderful if true:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sctv/s/lgjMwclQQ1

Could be, considering Netflix just added all of Christopher Guest’s movies that Catherine O’Hara starred in, along with Eugene Levy and Guest’s usual gang, the late Fred Willard, Michael McKean, Parker Posey etc.! I would love to watch SCTV again, so hope it’s true!