Macaulay Culkin Posts Touching Tribute to Catherine O’Hara: 'Mama. I thought we had time'
Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin is one of the most prominent Hollywood voices paying tribute to legendary actress and comedian Catherine O'Hara, after her death was announced on Friday. She was 71 years old.
TMZ was the first to break the news of the Canadian-American's passing, said to have occurred on January 30. No cause of death has been given.
O'Hara first came to prominence in the Canadian sketch show Second City Television, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1982 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. She became a household name thanks to roles in Beetlejuice, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and, more recently, Schitt's Creek and The Last of Us.
The actress's best-known role, however, is that of Kate McCallister, mother of main character Kevin (played by Culkin) in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
Macaulay Culkin Paid Tribute to His On-Screen Mother on Instagram
Taking to Instagram, Macaulay Culkin shared an image of himself as a child with the late actress in the first Home Alone film, as well as a more recent image of the pair, during Macaulay Culkin's unveiling ceremony for his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which occurred in December 2023.
"Mama. I thought we had time," Macaulay wrote. "I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say," he continued, reflecting on the profound loss of a co-star and a friend.
He signed off with a promise to O'Hara. "I love you. I’ll see you later."
During a 2024 screening of Home Alone, the former child actor told fans he called the actress "mom" whenever they reunited, adding that she “opens up her arms — she goes, ‘Son.’”
During the 2023 Star ceremony, O'Hara jokingly called herself Macaulay's "fake mom" in a speech paying tribute to her former co-star.
“You so deserve your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And thank you for including me, your fake mom, who left you home alone not once but twice, to share in this happy occasion. I’m so proud of you."