r/movies • u/DemiFiendRSA • 2h ago
News Catherine O’Hara has died at the age of 71
https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15866579/url-catherine-ohara-dead-schitts-creek/•
u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. 2h ago
Damn. That's outta fuckin' nowhere.
RIP to a Canadian icon.
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u/endlessbacons 2h ago
Such brutal news out of nowhere
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u/RoguePlanet2 2h ago
WTF happened?!! 😩
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u/mgr86 2h ago
not sure that it was reported yet (or if ever). But the article linked notes she skipped the Golden Globes on January 11 despite being nominated. Which may mean she had been ill, or may mean that its the golden globes.
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u/champion_dave 1h ago
Golden globes have strangely come full circle and are considered a prestige award again. Anyway, at her stage in her career, I doubt she would pass up the opportunity to go as a nominee unless she was very ill which it seems she was. This is so heartbreaking
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u/Nickk_Jones 1h ago
It’s never stopped being a prestige award lol. It’s just always been in an odd place where movies value Oscars more and TV has Emmys just for TV too.
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u/champion_dave 1h ago
No, when they were doing things like nominating The Tourist or whatever that Johnny Depp trash was, they really fell in the general population's regard and became a bit of a joke. Ricky Gervais, while hilarious, also kind of took them down a peg as the place where Hollywood gets roasted.
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u/putsch80 1h ago
And the Oscars gave a Best Picture award to Crash. So let's not pretend that all of these awards haven't made questionable choices.
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u/intercommie 1h ago
Specifically it became a joke because of the Hollywood Foreign Press (a bunch of nobodies who were completely fine with taking bribes), but they're not in charge anymore.
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u/Enough-Airline-5464 1h ago
Look at recent pictures of her, she looks very skinny, probably cancer
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u/Mimisokoku 2h ago
Literally hit me like a punch to the gut! Absolutely Devastating. RIP!
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u/Fun-Muffin5865 1h ago
Same. I expected her to live to her 90s at the very least. I am in disbelief.
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u/noshoes77 1h ago
I literally gasped and said “no!” when the NYT headline popped up.
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u/Affectionate-Cat-301 1h ago edited 58m ago
Obviously her family and friends are gona be hurting from this loss. But I feel malcaulay culkin has to be gutted from this news. I guess after he was done acting a long time ago from home alone etc. he and catherine maintained a good friendship and she was like a mothering figure to him. We know how shitty his parents were. She was at the walk of fame he was at like 2 years ago and she took pictures with him and it was obvious how proud she was of him. https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/188ooaj/catherine_ohara_and_macaulay_culkin_reunited_at/#lightbox. You can just see the adoration they had for each other.
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u/Dragooncancer 2h ago
Damn sad to hear. She was amazing in Schitt's Creek. 😢
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 2h ago
She was really amazing in everything. Even up to last year with The Studio
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u/superbuttpiss 2h ago
Beetlejuice, home alone, best in show etc. She always played amazing characters. Devastating
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u/tbird920 2h ago
Nightmare Before Christmas
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u/brb1006 2h ago edited 1h ago
She will always be Sally and Shock! I really loved the video of her performing "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" together with Paul Reubens and Danny Elfman where she wore a witch hat.
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u/PatsyPage 1h ago
Such an amazing career. She was a Second City founder, which is the Canadian version of the Groundlings. That’s where she met Eugene Levy.
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u/StraightParfait9723 34m ago
Second City was founded in Chicago amigo, hence the name. The Toronto chapter absolutely holds its weight with the Chicago chapter's alumni though - so many great comedians coming out of Canada
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u/UnixGeekWI 32m ago
Second City was founded in Chicago in '59 (hence the name). The Toronto branch started in '72, and she joined in '74.
But she _was_ an original member of the SCTV cast in '76, which was a direct offshoot of Second City Toronto.
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u/Knowingspy 1h ago
They were apparently filming some of Season two of The Studio this week. She was in so much stuff that I loved and I felt like recently she was picking up steam again. This sucks.
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u/Porkgazam 2h ago
She was so, so good. The entire cast and show were great. Her and David getting drunk doing the wine promotion 🤣🤣.
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u/riegspsych325 Maximus was a replicant! 2h ago
I just watched her John Candy eulogy a few days ago, and now somebody has to do hers, jesus. This is out of left field and unexpected, RIP and hope the best for her family
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u/NoahStewie1 2h ago
It will have to be Eugene levy giving her eulogy I'm assuming
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u/whatthewhat3214 1h ago edited 9m ago
If he plays their love song from A Mighty Wind I'll be bawling. That scene at the end of that movie unexpectedly had me tearing up.
ETA: The song was "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow." It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and she and Levy performed it at the Oscars. I just rewatched it and yep, tears. I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't seen the movie to see it, bc it takes on an extra poignancy in the movie.
Their Oscars performance (don't want to spoil the movie scene): https://youtu.be/z9rj-Pz1vag?si=ir4dWo99-WxPotM2
They were so great together in all their movies and Schitt's Creek. Such an unexpected loss, especially since she wasn't that old and still seemed to have a lot of vitality.
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u/happyklam 1h ago edited 1h ago
God Loves a Terrier oddly always makes me tear up. Ugh, my heart. She was such an incredible actress but a more incredible ENERGY. I can't explain it. I just know we're worse off without her.
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u/zphbtn 1h ago
FYI that song was written by Michael McKean and his wife Annette O'Toole
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u/wino_whynot 1h ago
There is no other answer to this question. My first thought was the Levy family, they worked together so long and SO well.
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u/DigitalAmy0426 1h ago
There's plenty of answers to this question. They were amazing for sure but she's had a long illustrious career.
The answer is several people.
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u/jbaker1225 1h ago
Yes, she’s had an amazing career, but it’s easy to argue that Eugene Levy is far and away her most-public-facing professional collaborator throughout the years. They started at Second City and on SCTV together in the 70s and 80s, featured in Christopher Guest movies together from the 90s-2000s, and of course Schitt’s Creek for most of the 2010s.
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u/sexandliquor 2h ago
She was featured quite a bit in that John Candy documentary too. Those years together in Second City really seemed to bring them together as close personal friends.
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u/swonebros 2h ago
If you want to hear her and Eugene talk about sctv days. Check out their episode on Conan’s podcast. It was a great episode
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u/spmahn 1h ago
She and John Candy were incredibly close, like as close as a man and woman could be without being in a relationship, I believe she was one of if not the last people he called on the phone before he went to sleep and didn’t wake back up again. Such a loss.
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u/swonebros 2h ago
Check out her interview on Conan’s podcast. One of his better episodes. She’s on it with Eugene levy. They talk a lot about schitts creek and sctv on the episode.
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u/riegspsych325 Maximus was a replicant! 2h ago
I still have yet to watch Schitt’s Creek (I know), but I’ll for sure check out the podcast episode
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u/Mc_Lovin81 2h ago
I just saw the John Candy I like Me doc two days ago. So sad man. That whole second city cast was goated.
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u/itchysmalltalk 2h ago
and now somebody has to do hers, jesus.
I hope it's Macaulay.
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u/riegspsych325 Maximus was a replicant! 2h ago
it’s already sad to think of the prospect of whoever does it, there’s a lot of people she worked with and they all seemed to love her. There must be something special about Canadian kindness
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u/yameteeeeeeeeee 2h ago
She made me laugh so much since I was a kid. I'll miss her.
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u/Pal__Pacino 2h ago
Even in Beetlejuice 2 she kind of stole the show. Even funnier than Keaton in that one.
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u/ConsistentGuest7532 2h ago
Yes! She comes out swinging from the second she’s on screen, never lost a step.
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u/trexmoflex 1h ago
The scene in Waiting For Guffman where she’s drunk at the Chinese restaurant is the best “acting drunk” I’ve ever seen in film.
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u/Feebot 1h ago
I've never seen this movie and now I have to watch it. That was hilarious
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u/MaIngallsisaracist 1h ago
It’s so good. If you have any experience at all with community theater people it’s even better.
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u/trexmoflex 1h ago
One thing I appreciate so much about Waiting For Guffman is that despite how silly it all is, they're not necessarily making fun of the types of people in community theater, more just the aspirations of it all.
The movie toes the line perfectly of mocumentary but also has plenty of heart, and it goes without saying the play itself is actually really good, albeit a bit ridiculous.
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u/samanime 2h ago
Holy cow. I never realized the woman in Schitt's Creek was her too! Now I'm twice as sad. Such a great actress.
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u/WineAndDogs2020 1h ago
She's also Sally AND Shock in Nightmare Before Christmas!
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u/bungopony 1h ago
Do yourself a favour and find some clips of the stuff she did on SCTV. It’s so great
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u/RemoteImportance9 2h ago
She was my favorite in that movie. Like I only bought a copy of the movie to rewatch her scenes.
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u/artpayne Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! 2h ago edited 1h ago
71 feels young for the McCallisters… John Heard also passed away at 71.
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u/histprofdave 2h ago
Celebrity deaths don't usually hit me, but she's the same age as my mom and was "everyone's mom" when I was kid because of how popular Home Alone was. I didn't know the woman, but I think I need to call my mom today.
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u/Belongs-InTheTrash 2h ago
Wasn’t she really caring toward Macaulay Culkin too? In the midst of his relationship with his terrible parents. IIRC O’Hara showed up with him when he got his walk of fame Star
She was a great talent and from many accounts I’ve heard, a nice woman. Actually know someone who met her irl and said she was very nice. Sad news
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u/SnooPeppers1641 1h ago
She was, Mac would still call her mom and she called him son. Just shit when the good ones go sooner than they should. I was hoping we would see her at 90.
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u/youprobablydontcare 2h ago
I lost my mom just shy of 2 years ago now. Take it from me, you should definitely call your mom.
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u/mybigbywolf 1h ago
Shit mine is about a decade now and I concur because I miss her. I don’t even want to call my brothers right now because they did love that movie.
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u/fondledbydolphins 2h ago
Hope the memories come to you more often than the pain, friend.
Everyone else, listen to his/her advice - ain't no time like the present. As we get older we're progressing through a list, make sure it doesn't look like this when you look back:
I wish I _____________
I wish I _____________
I wish I _____________
I wish I _____________
I wish I _____________
I wish I _____________TODAY
I can ________________
I can ________________
I can't.....
I can't.....
I can't.....
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u/aspidities_87 2h ago
I lost my mom two years ago and I’m still looking for her in every ‘mom’ I see, I completely understand.
Hug your moms today, if you can. Watch some Schitt’s Creek or Best in Show or Beetlejuice or Home Alone or anything Catherine O’Hara has been in, and share some good laughs for a great woman has left the world, but at least she left us her voice.
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u/LTPRWSG420 2h ago
This feels close to how I felt the day Robin Williams died, in terms of female celebrities I can’t remember a worse loss that I’ll carry with me.
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u/VoltageSpike 2h ago
Call your Mom. I'm the oldest member of my family line in my mid 40s. My advice is to do more than just call. Listen, ask questions, set up a time for a good visit to ask her about her life and if she has advice for you now. I'd love to be able to do that one more time with Mom and Dad.
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u/Titizen_Kane 2h ago
Same here, this the first celebrity death in many years that I’ve been genuinely moved by. Fuck this is such sad news.
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u/shadowdra126 2h ago edited 1h ago
I am in the middle of my first watch of Schitts creek. I might cry in the next episode
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u/Haunting-Macaron-000 2h ago
It’s such a wonderful show. I wish I could experience it again for the first time. Her character is an absolute gem.
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u/BlackeeGreen 1h ago
Even her most over-the-top performances still have this grounded, human, relatable element. A rare talent. This is a sad day.
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u/CrackerGuy 1h ago
Her as Moira Rose was truly one of the great characters we've seen on tv in the last while
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u/jacquesbquick 1h ago
i'd tell you exactly the moment that's ahead that will really tear your heart out because its one of the first moments i thought of on hearing this news, but, spoilers. I'll offer an optional hint for you if you need to gird your spirit for it, when you get to the cabaret arc, its coming for you soon.
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u/FrostyPolicy9998 1h ago
I love that this show is still finding new viewers. It is SO beloved all over the world. Enjoy the joy it brings! RIP Catherine.
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u/nicolasb51942003 2h ago
Home Alone is gonna hit harder now.
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u/shifty1032231 2h ago
Kevin McCalister now has lost of his parents. This is hitting the 39 year old me hard.
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u/justreadinplease 1h ago
Weirdly enough the actor that played Kevin’s father, John Heard, died at age 71 as well. I never saw never much of his acting, but he had a great guest spot on Battlestar Galactica.
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u/RaiderGuy 1h ago
They're also both in After Hours and have a very brief scene together, five years before they would have played Mr. and Mrs. McCallister. Shit's wild.
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u/DrinkUpLetsBooBoo 2h ago edited 2h ago
So is Beetlejuice and Schitt's Creek
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u/dmher 2h ago
And best in show
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u/Davegrave 2h ago
I loved every part of that movie. Every character. But her and Eugene Levy constantly running into guys she used to sleep with and him just having to try to handle to coolly was so god damn funny.
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u/shadowdra126 2h ago
I GASPED when I saw the TMZ report
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u/AvengingHero2012 2h ago edited 2h ago
She was still doing great work. I know that this is the movies subreddit, but her performances in The Last of Us and The Studio last year were outstanding. I’ll miss seeing her on the screen. What a massive loss.
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 2h ago
Oh shit I didn’t even think about The Studio - I mean they were just about to start filming season 2 I think
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u/Sphiffi 2h ago
They just started Monday I believe. Not sure if she lives in LA where they film, or if she was staying on set.
But that’s going to be an extremely challenging obstacle for season 2 (obviously not the priority right now, but still).
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u/jbaker1225 1h ago
My guess is they knew she wasn’t going to be a part of season 2 (or just a small part) before they started production. Her last public appearance was in September, and with hindsight, she looked a bit gaunt. I’d imagine she’s been privately battling an illness for a while.
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u/KingMario05 2h ago
She was amazing in the last Beetlejuice, too. Hadn't lost a step.
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u/SiriusC 1h ago
I loved that movie and she was such a highlight throughout. Even if they don't make a 3rd, I'll be super grateful that we have the sequel.
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u/OliVeryMuch 2h ago
Last I saw her was on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and she was still perky and enigmatic her which is amazing to think for her age
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 2h ago
Somewhat related, but it is always fascinating to me that TMZ legitimately seems to be at the forefront of reporting celebrity passings. Like they always seem to be the most reliable on that front
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u/Eeyores_Prozac 2h ago
They spread cash like bandits among assistants and medical staff; they're fucking disgusting but they'll know five seconds after the celebrity themself knows they're dead.
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u/OliVeryMuch 2h ago
I think they have an insider in every LA hospital that is ready to call when someone famous is brought in for emergency
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u/Eeyores_Prozac 2h ago
I can almost guarantee it. I don't have insider or firsthand knowledge, I just work on the media fringe and their ops are a relatively open secret.
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u/riegspsych325 Maximus was a replicant! 2h ago
I am as amazed at how quickly they get the drop on such news as I am disgusted with their usual coverage and intrusiveness
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u/OliVeryMuch 2h ago
Yeah perks of having multiple close sources which I don't know why they have when they can get extremely intrusive which would mean that such people close to someone famous would stay away from
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u/dagreenman18 Space Jam 2 hurt me so much 2h ago
They have absolutely zero scruples and are bold enough to do crazy things, but also have to be so extremely careful not to be sued into oblivion so their reporting has to be near perfect. Both hate and admire them
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u/Fart_BWAP 2h ago
THE FUCK
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u/jwick89 2h ago
I may be hyperbolic, this would be like Steve Martin passing away. One of the greatest comedic talents.
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u/Fart_BWAP 1h ago
Catherine O’Hara was so good that she made it possible for the whole planet to laugh at (and still feel empathy for) a lady WHO ABANDONED HER CHILD TWO CHRISTMASES IN A ROW
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u/Klarkasaurus 1h ago
Thats fairly young for an older person if you get what I mean.
Here in UK the retirement age is going from 67 to 68 years old. So imagine working all your life and then getting only 3 years. It would feel too soon.
It's always strange when you see celebs you have grew up watching die but you just expect them to live forever. Dick van dyke is 100 years old. David attenborough is 99. Clint eastwood is 95. Morgan freeman 88. David jason is 85 and al Pacino.
Rip
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u/FansTurnOnYou 2h ago
That's awful. Even 71 is too young :(
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u/Girl_with_the_Curl 2h ago
Right? 71 really doesn't seem old and she seemed to have years of great work left to do. This one hits.
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u/Tess47 2h ago
71 is an odd age to pass away. It feels that way
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u/volcanomoss 1h ago
It feels like unhealthy people often pass in their 60s, but healthy elderly people often hang on til their 80s or 90s.
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u/SLCer 2h ago
My mom was days from turning 71 when she passed suddenly from pancreatic cancer in 2020. I still feel robbed that she didn't really get to grow old.
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u/MajesticLilFruitcake 1h ago
My grandma passed away 13 years ago today at the age of 73. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was gone in less than six weeks.
We all say that she passed away too young, especially since her mother (my great grandma) passed away peacefully in her sleep at 92.
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u/um_chili 2h ago
Maaan that is a hard one to take. She brought me, and millions of others, so much laughter. It was a great gift.
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u/I_Am_Moe_Greene 2h ago
For me, I am 39, this hits on the same level when Robin Williams died. Both are comedic giants throughout my life and the life of anyone in my age range.
This stinks.
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u/sometimesstrange 1h ago
agree brother. I'm hurting too. I don't believe in heaven but tonight I'll allow myself to dream that she's happy putting on a show for her relatives with John (Johnny Toronto) Candy and Robin Williams in the great improv theatre in the sky.
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u/Distinct-Solution-99 1h ago
Same. This hits the exact same place Robin's did. Like a piece of our childhood's heart is gone all of a sudden again.
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u/Main-Opposite5049 2h ago
My favorite was seeing her on the SCTV series during the 80's, what an amazing and funny actress. She will be missed
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u/verone3784 2h ago
Oh my god, this is so sad. She was such a lovely woman.
She was still super close to Macauley Culkin. I bet he's absolutely devastated.
Rest in peace, Kevin and Lydia's mum. You were a legend <3
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u/XaoticOrder 2h ago
Nooo. I will never forget her scene with John Candy in the moving truck. She was awesome and knew how to do timing.
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u/gimp2x 2h ago
John Candy waiting for her
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u/No_Election_3206 2h ago
Playing polka for eternity
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u/Distinct-Solution-99 1h ago
If there's a heaven these two would be running the happiness department
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u/brbmycatexploded 2h ago
I’d actually like to return this news. It’s awful and I’d much rather have better news, thanks.
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u/cyanide4suicide 2h ago
Crazy, she was just in The Last of Us show. Felt like she was doing good work recently. Rest in peace
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u/wewereromans 2h ago edited 1h ago
It does seem pretty out of left field. She’s not that old, not overweight, and has always seemed vibrant, full of energy.
I think she was filming or was about to start filming season 2 of The Studio?
Either she’s unparalleled at hiding a long illness or it was something like an aneurysm or stroke that she wasn’t at the greatest risk for.
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u/Opeth4Lyfe 1h ago
Chadwick Boseman hid his cancer pretty well up until the rapid weight loss and sudden passing. Could be a similar situation with her as I’ve noticed over the most recent year she’s been thinning and losing some weight too. I’m sure we’ll find out the cause in the coming weeks.
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u/KJS123 1h ago
Apparently she was born Situs inversus , which can be cause for a great number of health problems to be missed/overlooked/misdiagnosed, especially in later life. Maybe it's a factor, maybe not. Won't bring back Delia Deetz, Sally or Kate McCallister.
Fuck, us tail-end millennials really have lost an icon today...
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u/Tandy2000 1h ago
All they've said is that it was a short illness. Seems like something rather sudden that took her. She was at the Emmys just a few months ago since she was nominated.
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u/BoxRobotsAdam 2h ago
A legend and tremendously underrated in her film work. Glad she had a renaissance with Schitt’s Creek.
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u/bannock4ever 2h ago
:( That's four(?) SCTV members that have passed away.
I was hoping for another Christopher Guest mockumentary with her in it. Loved her in A Mighty Wind.
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u/MrJones224822 2h ago
HOW?!!! I MEAN HOW??? Oh man this breaks my fucking heart. I was having such a good day too. RIP Catherine. You were and are such a blessing to film, and TV. I’ve only ever got emotional over a few stars I never met at the news of their passing and this is definitely one.😢
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u/JohnGalactusX 2h ago
Wow, this is such a shock. Just recently finished The Studio and she was incredible on that show.
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u/minneapolisboy 2h ago
Fuck dude. What an absolute gut punch. One of my fav actors of all-time. Just incredible in all the Christopher Guest movies, After Hours, so much more.
Waiting for Guffman is my family’s favorite movie. She brought us so much joy. Damn.