#funny lady

BARBRA STREISAND as Fanny Brice

Who am I to be posting here writing about Catherine O'Hara? I'll tell you who I am. I’m one of the millions of people whose lives were made fuller and funnier by the career that was Catherine O'Hara's.

You caught a Schitt's Creek scene on TV one night right when you needed to laugh more than anything in the world. Or maybe you grew up with this wonderful person on your TV screens. From when you were little and watching Home Alone, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Monster House, Over The Hedge or Frankenweenie; to being older and watching Best in Show, Beetlejuice, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, After Hours, and hundreds of more great films she did.

If you are a GenXer you saw her in the early days of SCTV to then seeing her on the bigger screens and becoming one of the most recognized female comedians of her time. There are not many like Catherine O'Hara left, she was one the last real funny ladies of her kind........I wish I could say there are more like her.....but there aren't.

I like many, grew up with her on my TV screen. She will forever be remembered as Delia Deetz to me. Beetlejuice was a constant in my house and this bitchy crazy red head with weird sculptures was one the funniest parts of the film to five year old me, and still is. Little did I know at the time that her voice was in so many of the animated films I watched, and heard in the car when my Dad would play the soundtrack to A Mighty Wind through the radio. She was always there. I never realized that.......until now.

I was at work when I saw a post on Instagram saying that she had passed on. I couldn't believe it. I still don't. For many 71 is old. For me it's not old enough. I feel the same way I felt when I heard Julian McMahon passed away......Hurt. His death hurt more than I thought it would. The same goes to Catherine O'Hara. I hurt so much from this. I didn't think I'd feel this way, but it feels so wrong the she's gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are three quotes of hers I love:

"I think everyone is born funny. Sadly, some lives beat it out of them. I don't know what allows someone to keep being funny and actually make a career of it. I was encouraged to see the humor in life and have always been around people who think funny, but I know some hilarious people whose sense of humor saved them from their lives."

"In life, there is nothing better than laughing. Especially a laugh when you need it most."

The last one is my favorite. An interviewer asked her what role she'd like to be remembered for. Her answer was perfect.

"Mother of my children." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Catherine O'Hara for being one of the people to make us laugh when we needed it.

Thank you for being all of those characters to grace our childhoods and adulthoods.

Thank you for being a Mom.

You were more precious than a pot of gold.

Rest in Peace funny lady. Catherine Anne O'Hara March 4th, 1954 - January 30th, 2026

Rest In Peace Terry Garr (December 11, 1944 - October 29, 2024).

Fun Fact : She portrayed both Phoebe Buffay's mom in Friends (in three episodes from 1997/1998) and Kate Beckett's mom in Castle (emphasis on kinda, since it's only a photography of her).

Omar Sharif and Barbra Streisand