The world is mourning Catherine O\u2019Hara after the comedic legend died on Jan. 30 at the age of 71, and the cast of ‘Schitt\u2019s Creek’ is paying tribute.<\/b>
\nTV & Movies
The Emmy-nominated actor died on Jan. 30 at the age of 71.
The world is mourning Catherine O\u2019Hara after the comedy legend died on Jan. 30 at the age of 71, and the cast of Schitt\u2019s Creek is among them. Following her death, O\u2019Hara\u2019s former co-stars on the Emmy-winning series are paying tribute, including her frequent collaborator Eugene Levy and his son, series creator Dan Levy.
In 2015, O\u2019Hara reunited with Levy for the sitcom, where she played former soap star and family matriarch Moira Rose. The sitcom followed the once-wealthy Rose family as they lost their fortune and were forced to move into a motel in the one asset they still owned, the small town of Schitt\u2019s Creek, which Levy\u2019s Johnny purchased for his son David, also played by Dan, as a prank.
Schitt\u2019s Creek\u2019s audience started small but surged in popularity after episodes began streaming on Netflix, and went on to last an impressive six seasons. Moira Rose, especially, grew a cult following with her soap opera dramatics, bewildering wig collection, and unique vocabulary that became a language among fans (and even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
O\u2019Hara went on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the show\u2019s final season. \u201cI will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be herself,\u201d she said during her speech. Read her castmates\u2019 tributes below.
Levy paid tribute to his frequent collaborator in a statement. \u201cWords seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today\u00a0\u00bb, he said, as per Entertainment Weekly. \u00ab\u00a0I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over 50 years. From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship.\u00a0\u00bb
Levy\u2019s son Dan took to Instagram to pay respects to his onscreen mother. \u201cWhat a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O\u2019Hara\u2019s brilliance for all those years,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHaving spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It\u2019s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.\u201d
Taking to Instagram, Murphy shared throwback photos and a note detailing what she learned from her onscreen mom. \u201cShe would have never presumed to call herself a teacher (too self-deprecating, too Canadian) but holy f***, was I ever a student,\u201d she wrote. \u201cHere are a few Coles Notes for those who also want to study: Giggles always. Jokes first. As looking as they feel right in your bones. When you find the people you love and make you laugh, stick with your lovers and laughters.\u201d
In the caption, Murphy paid tribute to O\u2019Hara\u2019s laugh. \u201cHa-ha-HAAAA?!?! Her laugh was a perpetual Yes, And.,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIt challenged anyone who heard it to join in, and be as delighted as she was. Gosh, were we ever lucky to have her.\u201d She ended her tribute by referencing one of her most iconic Schitt\u2019s Creek lines, \u201c#goodbyetoagreatactress,\u201d complete with the sunglasses emoji.<\/p>\n