Catherine O’Hara has died. The news of her death was reported on Friday, January 30. Her rep confirmed her passing, revealing she died in her Los Angeles Bentwood home “following a brief illness,” TMZ reports. She was 71.
The world is in mourning, and many celebrities have paid tribute to O’Hara. Her longtime friend and collaborator Eugene Levy also shared a heartwarming tribute, reflecting on their years of friendship and the brilliant woman she was.
Eugene Levy Pays Tribute to Catherine O’Hara
GettyLevy and O’Hara collaborated on many projects together, including the films “Waiting for Guffman,” Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “For Your Consideration.” But perhaps their most memorable collaboration was on the Emmy Award-winning series, “Schitt’s Creek.” They were much more than colleagues, as Levy’s tribute to O’Hara shares a glimpse into their close bond.
“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years,” Levy said in a statement to Us Weekly. “From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship.”
He continued, “And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”
A Lasting Friendship
GettyLevy and O’Hara first became friends in the ‘70s after meeting at the Toronto-based improv troupe, Second City. In a joint interview with Buzzfeed, they reflected on how they first met.
“I was a waitress at Second City … and Eugene was in the cast, and I auditioned for the cast,” O’Hara said. “At that time, Joe Flaherty, who was directing, said, ‘I heard you auditioned. Keep up the day job. Keep up the waitressing.’ But even waitressing at Second City was a cool job. My sister was a waitress there, my brother was a waiter there, and Eugene was in the cast, so I, of course, remember Eugene because I saw him on stage.”
After six months, O’Hara would join Levy as part of the troupe, replacing Gilda Radner.
Throughout their friendship, Levy and O’Hara would attend multiple events, and they always looked like they were having so much fun. They were appreciative of each other, with both mentioning the other in their respective Emmy Award acceptance speeches.
