A little over a week after Catherine O’Hara passed away at the age of 71, the late actress’s cause of death has been revealed.
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According to TMZ, the LA County Department of Health released the Schitt’s Creek star’s death certificate, which revealed that she died from a blood clot in her lungs. Her immediate cause of death has been listed as pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer as an underlying cause.
O’Hara’s husband, Robert “Bo” Welch, was given her remains after she was cremated, the death certificate revealed.
The actress, best known for her roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and Schitt’s Creek, unexpectedly died on Jan. 30. At the time, her reps revealed that she had been battling a “brief illness” leading up to her death.
“Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” the reps shared in a statement.
The Los Angeles Fire Department previously stated that first responders were dispatched to O’Hara’s Brentwood neighborhood residence at approximately 5 a.m. on Jan. 30. Although she was transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition, she passed away several hours later.
The Late Actress Discovered She Had a Rare Medical Condition Two Decades Before Her Death
Although it wasn’t listed as a contributing factor to her death, O’Hara had been diagnosed with the rare medical condition, dextrocardia situs inversus, which is an abnormal positioning of the heart. Other major organs, including the liver and spleen, can also be affected when they are on opposite sides of the body.
Although this condition is rare, those diagnosed with it may live normal lives without symptoms.
O’Hara once stated she wasn’t diagnosed with the condition until more than 20 years before her death. Her doctor made the diagnosis during a routine appointment. She recalled finding out during a 2020 appearance on Virtual Happy Hour.
“He calls us into his office and says, ‘You’re the first one I’ve met!'” O’Hara explained. “I don’t even know the name, because I don’t want to know the name. Something cardio-inversus. And then dextrocardia and something-inversus.”
“People are going to think I’m so ignorant not to know this,” she pointed out. “But I kind of don’t want to know. Because I didn’t know before that.”