Catherine O'Hara’s Cause of Death Confirmed as Rectal Cancer: What We Know

Catherine O’Hara, a comedian and performer who died on January 30, had rectal cancer, according to her death certificate, released Monday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to the coroner’s office, she died as the result of a pulmonary embolism induced by underlying rectal cancer.

The death certificate contradicts O’Hara’s reps’ allegation that the ‘Schitt’s Creek’ actor died after a “brief illness.” O’Hara was 71 when she died.

As details of her death emerge, it has been learned that O’Hara was privately suffering from rectal cancer. Many fans have been left wondering when the ‘Home Alone’ star was diagnosed.

Catherine O’Hara’s Cancer Diagnosis: What We Know

Catherine O’Hara had kept her cancer diagnosis confidential until the Los Angeles coroner confirmed the reason. Following O’Hara’s death, journalist Jeff Sneider told X that she was being treated for cancer at Mount Sinai in Toronto. However, the claim remained unsubstantiated until the cause of death was determined.

The iconic actor’s first public word about her sickness came in 2021, when she confirmed that she had cardiac inversus, a rare congenital ailment in which the heart is positioned on the right side of the chest rather than the left.

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As a result, it is unclear when Catherine O’Hara was diagnosed with rectal cancer or at what stage it was when she died.

What is Pulmonary Embolism?

According to the LA County coroner, Catherine O’Hara died as a result of a pulmonary embolism. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot forms elsewhere in the body and travels through the bloodstream before suddenly blocking an artery in the lung, shutting off blood flow.

According to the death certificate, Catherine O’Hara’s body was given over to her husband, Bo Welch, and cremated.