Catherine O’Hara Lived Her Whole Life With This Rare Genetic Condition

Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71. The actress passed away early Friday morning, January 30, at her home in Los Angeles. Her death was confirmed by reports from Variety and Deadline, which said she died after a brief illness. She was surrounded by family at the time.

Her agency, CAA, later confirmed the news and asked for privacy for her loved ones. O’Hara is survived by her husband of more than three decades, Bo Welch, and their two sons, Matthew and Luke.

After news of her death became public, attention turned to a rare genetic condition she had lived with since birth. O’Hara was born with dextrocardia with situs inversus, a condition where the heart and other major organs are positioned on the opposite side of the body.

O’Hara spoke about the condition during a 2020 appearance on Kathryn Hall’s Virtual Happy Hour. She described learning about it years earlier during a medical exam. I’m a freak, she joked at the time. I don’t even know the name because I don’t want to know the name. She explained that doctors discovered the condition after an EKG raised questions and a chest X-ray showed her heart was on the right side of her chest.

Medical experts say situs inversus is usually not dangerous. According to the Cleveland Clinic, many people with the condition never have symptoms and often find out by accident during scans or tests. Still, doctors say it is important for medical teams to know about it, especially in emergencies, so treatment is done correctly.

The official cause of O’Hara’s death has not been released. Reports from Variety and Deadline only described it as a brief illness.

In the years before her death, O’Hara remained busy and successful. She starred in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, where she played a powerful Hollywood figure. The role earned her another Emmy nomination. She also had a role in season two of HBO’s The Last of Us, playing a therapist opposite Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

Her recent film work included Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in 2024, where she returned as Delia Deetz, and the animated movie The Wild Robot, released in 2025.

O’Hara’s career began in Canada on the sketch show SCTV. She later became widely known for films like Home Alone and a series of mockumentaries directed by Christopher Guest. She worked closely for decades with Eugene Levy. Her role as Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek introduced her to a new generation of fans and earned her major awards in 2020.

Beyond her work, O’Hara was known for her warmth and sharp sense of humor. Many colleagues have described her as generous, kind, and deeply respected in the industry.

Catherine O’Hara leaves behind a body of work that made people laugh for decades. She proved that comedy could be smart, strange, and heartfelt at the same time. Her presence on screen will be hard to replace. What do you think made Catherine O’Hara so special as a performer? Share your thoughts in the comments.