Beloved actress Catherine O’Hara sadly passed away at 71 years old on Friday, January 30, as reported by TMZ and confirmed by her manager to People. While fans knew her from her role on “Schitt’s Creek” as well as movies like “Home Alone,” “Beetlejuice,” and “A Mighty Wind,” her family knew her as a wife and mother.
Catherine was married to production designer Bo Welch, and together, they had two sons, Matthew and Luke Welch.
Tim Burton Helped Catherine & Bo Get Together
GettyCatherine and Bo met while they were both working on “Beetlejuice” in 1988. She was appearing in the film as Delia Deetz while Bo was working on the production design, according to People.
When the film’s director, Tim Burton, found out that Catherine had a crush on Bo, he stepped in to help.
Getty“I was grouching to Tim Burton about how this guy was talking to me all the time and never asking me out,” Catherine told InStyle (via Yahoo!Life) in 2018. “We had a break between filming in Los Angeles and on location, and in that time, Tim told Bo that he should ask me out.”
“Our first day of shooting at the house was the day that Bo finally asked me out, so that’s what I see when I look at the scenes we shot there,” she said. “Matchmaking Tim Burton!”
Catherine and Bo obviously hit it off and got married on April 25, 1992.
Catherine’s Sons Are Also In Show Business
GettyCatherine and Bo welcomed their first son, Matthew, into the world in 1994, before having a second son, Luke, in 1997. Both boys followed their parents into show business; however, they also found their own paths in the industry, according to People.
The two are in set design and even worked on “Schitt’s Creek.” Catherine told Vanity Fair in 2020 that one of her sons was a set dresser for the show while the other was involved in the set construction.
Catherine also revealed that her sons inherited her knack for humor.
“They’re very funny, and we encourage it,” Catherine said while talking to the Toronto Star in 2007 when the boys were younger. “The older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-a– funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play.”
“I’m proud to say, we all make each other laugh,” she added. “In my home, growing up. I learned that from my parents. They made each other laugh to the end, God bless ‘em. How great is that?”
