‘Beetlejuice’ actress, Catherine O’Hara’s death certificate details released

Catherine O’Hara’s cause of death has been released.

The award-winning actress died of a pulmonary embolism with an underlying cause of rectal cancer on Jan. 30. She was 71 years old.

The cause of death was disclosed on her death certificate, which was released on Feb. 9, The New York Times reported.

She died at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica and had no other underlying causes of death listed.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it had been called for medical aid at 4:48 a.m. at an address connected to the actress. She was taken to a hospital in serious condition, ABC News reported.

When Creative Artists Agency announced her death, the group said she had been briefly ill.

An oncologist signed off on the death certificate, saying that he had been treating her since March 2025 and last saw her on Jan. 27, The Associated Press reported.

The “Beetlejuice” actress was cremated.

A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in an artery in the lung that blocks the flow of blood, according to the Mayo Clinic. The clot typically starts in a leg and travels to the lungs.

Rectal cancer “is caused by certain changes to the way colorectal cells function, especially how they grow and divide into new cells,” the National Cancer Institute said. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.

O’Hara had not shared her diagnosis with her fans before her death.

She had more than 100 roles on television and film, most recently appearing on Apple TV+’s “The Studio” and HBO’s “The Last of Us.” She may be best known for her portrayal of Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” Kevin’s mother in the “Home Alone” films or as Delia in “Beetlejuice” and its 2024 sequel.

O’Hara left behind her husband, Bo Welch and two sons, ABC News reported.

0 of 34

©2026 Cox Media Group