Catherine O’Hara, the beloved actress who died January 30 at age 71 following a brief illness, had previously opened up about living with a rare congenital condition that left her heart and other internal organs on the opposite side of her body.
The condition, known as dextrocardia with situs inversus, creates a mirror image of where most people’s organs are positioned. O’Hara discovered she had it quite by accident during a routine doctor’s visit before her son started nursery school.
The Condition That May Have Played Starring Role in Catherine O’Hara’s Death
“I’m a freak, yeah!” O’Hara joked during a 2021 interview, recounting the unexpected diagnosis. While undergoing baseline tests, including an EKG and X-ray for tuberculosis screening, the doctor excitedly told her, “You’re the first one I’ve met!”
True to her characteristically self-deprecating humor, O’Hara admitted she deliberately avoided learning too much about her condition. “I kind of don’t want to know, ’cause I didn’t know before that,” she explained. Her husband Bo Welch’s immediate response to the diagnosis was equally fitting: “No, her head’s on backwards.”
While many people live their entire lives without knowing they have situs inversus, the condition can cause complications when the heart is involved. O’Hara, one of seven children, wondered whether her siblings might share the condition, though her parents had already passed away by the time she learned of it.
The Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone star was absent from the Golden Globes on January 11, despite being nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Studio. A cause of death has not been publicly shared.
In her final interviews, O’Hara focused on embracing life rather than dwelling on limitations. She encouraged people to imagine living another 20 years and asked, “What are you going to do with those years?” Her answer was simple: “You look forward.”
O’Hara maintained her signature wit and positivity until the end, embodying the joie de vivre that made her such a treasured performer. Her death has left fans and colleagues shocked, mourning the loss of an irreplaceable talent whose vibrant spirit seemed ageless.