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Late Catherine O'Hara wittily joked about her ideal death in decade-old interview

The comedy icon died on Friday after contacting paramedics over breathing issues

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Catherine O'Hara, who passed away aged 71, pictured attending the UK Premiere of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" in 2024 in London.
Catherine O'Hara, who passed away aged 71, pictured attending the UK Premiere of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" in 2024 in London. Picture: Alamy

By Poppy Jacobs

The late Catherine O'Hara, who passed away aged 71, joked about her death in an interview back in 2013.

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The comedy icon died on Friday after contacting paramedics over concerns she was having "difficulty breathing", according to reports.

No further details have been revealed to the public.

Speaking in 2013, she gave a characteristically witty answer to how she pictured her final hours, saying she hoped to pass surrounded by her "old grandchildren" who would be telling her to "let go, already, Grandma!"

Comedy icon O'Hara was best known for her roles in the film Home Alone and TV shows SCTV and Schitt's Creek.

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Bo Welch and Catherine O'Hara at the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Party last year, in what would be the actress' final red carpet appearance.
Bo Welch and Catherine O'Hara at the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Party last year, in what would be the actress' final red carpet appearance. Picture: Alamy

The actress was not known to have been unwell in the run-up to her passing, but was notably absent from the Golden Globes less than three weeks ago - despite being nominated for best supporting actress on television for showbiz satire, The Studio.

Her last prior red carpet appearance was at the Emmys last September, when she appeared frail.

Her passing was met by a flood of tributes from former co-stars, including Macaulay Culkin, whose mother she had played in Home Alone, and Brooke Shields.

O'Hara is survived by her husband of nearly 34 years Bo Welch, a production designer she met whilst working on the 1988 classic Beetlejuice, and their two children, Matthew, 31, and Luke, 28, who both work in the production industry.