Eugene Levy breaks silence on the death of longtime friend Catherine O’Hara

Eugene Levy has broken his silence about his death Schitts Creek costar and collaborator of 50 years, Catherine O’Hara.

The actor, 79, shared a statement with We weekly on Friday, January 30, following news of O’Hara’s death at the age of 71.

“Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I have had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years,” said Eugene. “From our beginnings on the Second city stage, to SCTV, to the films we did Chris Guesthere’s to our six glorious years later Schitt’s CreekI cherished our working relationship, but especially our friendship.”

He concluded: “And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Lukeand the entire O’Hara family.

As well as husband and wife play Schitt’s Creek, Eugene and O’Hara have collaborated on many projects over the decades, including the Christopher Guest films Waiting for Guffman (1996), The best of the show (2000), A mighty wind (2003), and For your consideration (2006).

The pair first met in 1972 and while they were performing Watch what happens live with Andy Cohen in 2020, they even admitted that they briefly dated for “one or two dates” in their early days and worked together as castmates on Second city.

Speak with The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, O’Hara opened up about their working relationship, telling the outlet, “I think in a way it’s a very fortunate circumstance that we end up working together.”

In the same interview, Eugene said that it was easy for them to portray couples on screen because of their natural chemistry.

“We’ve known each other for so long that it’s just a comfortable relationship,” Eugene explained. “And when you’re doing comedy, you obviously want to work with the best people. It’s hard when you’re not working with the best people, so the bottom line is you want really good people who are quite skilled at this particular type of comedy.”

The actress died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness, her manager confirmed We weekly.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department later confirmed this We weekly that paramedics were called to the actress’ home in Brentwood at 4:48 a.m. Friday morning for a medical assistance call. O’Hara was transported to hospital in “serious condition.” An official cause of death has yet to be released.

Eugène’s son Than, 42, and daughter Sara39, both of whom also worked on the Emmy-winning sitcom Schitt’s Creek, were also among those who paid tribute to O’Hara after her death.

“What a gift to dance all these years in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s genius,” Dan wrote via Instagram on Friday. “Having worked with my father for more than fifty years, Catherine was a family member before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate to make with her.”

He added: “My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and every member of her big, beautiful family.”

For her part, Sarah shared a heartfelt tribute on her own Instagram account.

“This one hits deep. What an honor it was to know, work with, and love Catherine O’Hara,” Sarah wrote in the caption. “Cheers to all you brought to this world – you will be so missed. ❤️”