Catherine O’Hara, the acclaimed actress from Home Alone, passed away on January 30 at age 71 due to a pulmonary embolism—a blood clot in the lungs. Her manager confirmed the news, stating, “Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.”

Hillary Wolf Saba’s Touching Tribute

Hillary Wolf Saba, who portrayed O’Hara’s onscreen daughter in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, shared a rare behind-the-scenes photo on Instagram. The image captures the McCallister family cast, including Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, John Heard as Peter, Devin Ratray as Buzz, Hillary as Meghan, and Catherine as Kate.

In her caption, Hillary wrote, “My onscreen mom was so good to all of us kids on the sets of Home Alone 1 & 2. She was sweet, and she was hilarious! RIP Catherine O’Hara.”

From Child Star to Olympic Athlete

After Home Alone 2 released in 1992, Hillary stepped away from acting to pursue judo. She trained through high school and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2000. A mother of two, she once shared in a personal essay, “I remember that in 1992, I went to my parents and told them that I couldn’t do both acting and judo any longer and that I wanted to compete in judo at an Olympics.”

She credited her parents’ support, noting they avoided the pitfalls that affect some child actor families focused on fame and finances.

Fond Set Memories

Hillary described the Home Alone productions as joyful experiences. “As a whole, my memories of Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York are that it was a very fun set. Between the McCallisters and the cousins, there were a lot of children, so it was a very kid-friendly environment,” she recalled.

She praised O’Hara specifically: “Catherine O’Hara was one of the best things about that movie set. She was funny, great with kids, and just a wonderful person. I actually had a lot of fun filming the scene we did running through O’Hare airport, and that was because I was with Catherine.”

Co-Stars Pay Respects

Tributes flooded in after the news. Macaulay Culkin posted an emotional message: “Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I’ll see you later.”

Director Chris Columbus, who helmed both films, expressed devastation: “I’m stunned and heartbroken, along with the rest of the world. I was an obsessive fan of Catherine’s brilliant comedic work on SCTV and was thrilled when she agreed to play Kevin’s mom in Home Alone. What most people don’t realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth.”