Catherine O’Hara’s brother Michael disclosed a sorrowful detail about the actress’s final days on the latest episode of his podcast.
The Home Alone star passed away from a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) on January 30, sending shockwaves through Hollywood.
Michael, while sharing that she lived away from him due to her career commitments, said that communication between them was limited, partly due to the distance, but mostly due to a complication arising from her declining health.
Highlights
- Catherine O’Hara’s brother has opened up about a serious challenge the actress faced in the final stages of her life.
- He also shared a touching story about dreaming of Catherine shortly before her passing.
- Catherine was also recently remembered by her The Studio co-star, Seth Rogen, who promised to honor her in the show’s new season.
“That made me cry,” a netizen said after learning about O’Hara’s late-life struggles.
Michael O'Hara said he had to say goodbye to his sister in a dream
Image credits: Getty/Tommaso Boddi
Michael, on the April 6 episode of the Tip O the Iceberg podcast, revealed that Catherine “wasn’t talking much” towards the end of her life.
Though he did not explicitly state that her health was the reason behind it, the Mayo Clinic notes that pulmonary embolism causes shortness of breath, which can hinder a person’s speech.
Michael said that Catherine also avoided phone conversations — their main form of communication because she lived in Los Angeles while he was based in Toronto.
He then revealed a dream he had about his sister “a few days” before her demise.
“I always cherish the times I can meet with a loved one in the dream state,” Michael said, before sharing that he was “hugging” Catherine when she appeared in his dream.
“It was really beautiful, and I guess it was sort of a goodbye,” he interpreted.
Image credits: HBO
He said he had another dream about Catherine afterward.
This time, “I was visiting her, and she was in a new house that was being renovated, and she was really busy choosing furniture. And she said, ‘You can sleep here anytime, Michael. You can come over and stay anytime.’”
Image credits: Getty/Michael Buckner
Michael explained that the dream was reminiscent of a real-life memory they shared when Catherine was starring in the sketch comedy Second City Television.
“I was apprenticing at the Windsor Arms Hotel,” he recounted. “I would go over and sleep at her place some nights because she had an extra bedroom.”
Before her passing, Catherine O’Hara starred in Apple TV’s The Studio.
Seth Rogen, The Studio's star and producer, recently confirmed that its second season will honor the actress
Image credits: Apple TV
The Studio follows Matt Remick (Rogen), the newly appointed head of a fictional film production company, Continental Studios.
Catherine played Remick’s predecessor and longtime mentor, Patty Leigh.
Image credits: Getty/Eric Charbonneau
The actress, who received a posthumous Actor Award for her role, was set to return for the sophomore season but missed filming, which began in early January.
According to a source close to the production, the reason cited for her withdrawal at the time was “personal matters.”
Image credits: Apple TV
Rogen revealed on April 3 that the new installment will “not ignore” her passing, even though “heavy themes” don’t naturally align with the series.
“If anything, we’re acknowledging the idea that we are a little anchor-less,” he said.
Evan Goldberg, the show’s co-creator, admitted in the same interview that filming the new season without the actress “has been an unbelievable challenge” for the cast.
Catherine O’Hara was also honored in the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Oscars
Although she was never individually nominated for an Academy Award, she appeared in several Oscar-nominated films, including Home Alone, Beetlejuice, A Mighty Wind, Where the Wild Things Are, and Frankenweenie.
Image credits: thealexandraarnold
During the In Memoriam, Rachel McAdams paid tribute to her “fellow Canadian” O’Hara by calling her a “comedic genius and a scene-stealer.”
“She made us all laugh until we cried,” the actress added.
“Still can’t believe she is gone,” a fan wrote on X following the segment.
“Absolute legend, that lady,” another added.
Several others remembered Catherine O’Hara as their “movie mom.”
"She was so wonderful," a separate user reminisced
