We previously reported that the former Home Alone star Catherine O’Hara had died on January 30 at the age of 71. Now, sad new details are coming to light about Catherine’s final days.
Catherine’s Difficult Final Days
Catherine’s brother Michael P. O’Hara recently appeared on the “Dreams of Our Loved Ones” podcast. There, he opened up about Catherine’s last days before her passing.
“She wasn’t talking much at the end, she didn’t really want to talk on the phone,” Michael revealed. “She didn’t live close by; she’s in Los Angeles.”
Michael went on to describe Catherine’s death as being “very unexpected and very, very sad.” Though he was not physically near her in her final days, Michael experienced something powerful before her passing. Indeed, he had a vivid dream about his sister that now feels like a final goodbye.
“I always cherish the times I can meet with a loved one in the dream state … Oddly, I had a dream… a few days before she died, my sister… and I was hugging her, which was really beautiful,” Michael recalled. “I guess it was a sort of goodbye.”
Michael Encounters Catherine In More Dreams
In the months since Catherine’s death, Michael has continued to have these encounters with her in his dreams. This has brought him a great deal of comfort amidst his unimaginable grief.
“Since then, I’ve had a lovely dream where I was visiting her, and she was in a new house, and it was being renovated, and she was really busy choosing furniture and couches,” Michael recounted. “And she said, ‘You can sleep here anytime, Michael. You can come over and stay anytime.'”
This brought back memories from earlier in their lives.
“It reminded me of when she was in SCTV, and I was apprenticing at the Windsor Arms Hotel,” Michael remembered. “I would go over and sleep over at her place some nights because she had an extra bedroom. Yeah, pretty cool. But yeah, it was beautiful. She was just so happy and very busy in the other world that she’s now in, but yeah, it’s beautiful.”
Michael ended the interview by talking about just how powerful dream encounters with deceased loved ones really are.
“We’re all interconnected,” he concluded. “And the love, you know, continues no matter what. They’re always with us.”
Catherine Passes Away
Catherine died on January 30 after a “brief illness.”
“Prolific, multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” her rep told Fox News at the time.
The Los Angeles Fire Department then confirmed that they were called to Catherine’s home in Brentwood at around 5am. She was rushed to the hospital in serious condition, and she was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Catherine was a comedic genius who was best known for her work in movies like Beetlejuice and Home Alone and in television shows like Schitt’s Creek. While she will be dearly missed, she will always live on through her iconic and hilarious roles.
Catherine is survived by her husband, production designer Bo Welch, and their two sons: Matthew and Luke. She is also survived by her siblings: Michael, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O’Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.
Rest in peace, Catherine O’Hara.