Jan. 30, 2026Updated Jan. 31, 2026, 9:29 a.m. ET
Emmy-winning actress Catherine O’Hara died at home early on Friday, Jan. 30, at age 71 after “a brief illness,” Variety and Deadline reported.
No cause of death for the “Home Alone” and “Schitt’s Creek” star has been revealed. USA TODAY has reached out to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner for additional information.
While the details surrounding O’Hara’s death are unavailable, the Canadian native previously revealed a rare congenital condition called dextrocardia with situs inversus.
During a 2020 interview on winemaker Kathryn Hall’s Virtual Happy Hour, O’Hara opened up about having situs inversus, a genetic condition in which some organs are positioned in reverse in the body.
“I’m a freak,” she said while laughing. “I don’t even know the name because I don’t want to know the name.”
What is situs inversus? What type did Catherine O’Hara have?
Situs inversus is a genetic variation in which the organs in a person’s chest and abdomen are on the mirror-image side of normal anatomy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The Cleveland Clinic says people with the condition, which is caused by genetic mutations, can live normal lives, as it is typically harmless. Most people with situs inversus are unaware they have it since the condition has no signs or symptoms that prompt treatment.
O’Hara said she had the type of situs inversus known as dextrocardia, in which the heart faces the right side of the chest while the other organs are in reverse.
How did O’Hara find out she had situs inversus?
O’Hara said she learned about her rare condition after an electrocardiography test and x-ray exam during a doctor’s visit many years prior. The comedy legend said her husband, Bo Welch, was by her side when she found out.
“When the doctor told us that my heart was on the right side and my organs were flipped, my husband immediately said, ‘No, her head’s on backwards.”
Upon learning she had dextrocardia with situs inversus, O’Hara said she sought to learn as little as possible, quipping, “I love Western medicine. I just don’t want to be part of it.”
“People are gonna think I’m so ignorant not to know this, but I kind of don’t want to know, because I didn’t know before,” she said. “Never heard anything about this with anyone else. We’re driving home, and I think, I wonder how my other siblings, if they know where their hearts are.”
