Tim Burton has remembered the “special” Catherine O’Hara with a touching eulogy following her shocking death.
“Katherine, I love you,” Burton, 67, wrote via Instagram on Friday. “This photo shows how much light you gave all of us.”
“You were a special part of my life and the rest of my life,” the filmmaker concluded.
In the post, he shared a behind-the-scenes photo from the Beetlejuice sequel, in which he was seen posing with O’Hara, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Jenna Ortega.
In addition to starring in Burton’s original 1988 cult classic and its 2024 sequel, O’Hara also lent her voice to Burton’s animated films The Nightmare Before Christmas and Frankenweenie.
The director joins a list of stars including Macaulay Culkin, Michael Keaton and his “Schitt’s Creek” co-stars Eugene and Dan Levy to mourn the Emmy winner’s death.
O’Hara passed away on January 30 after a short battle with an undisclosed illness, according to a statement shared with creative artists agency Page Six. She was 71 years old.
“Catherine O’Hara, a prolific, award-winning actress, author, and comedian, passed away today at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness,” the network said in a statement.
According to the National Institutes of Health, O’Hara suffered from inversion, a rare disorder in which the arrangement of internal organs is a mirror image of normal anatomy.
Hours before her death, the actress was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital in “serious condition.”
As Page Six previously reported, paramedics responded to a call for medical assistance at the “Home Alone” star’s Brentwood home at 4:48 a.m.
According to audio of the 911 call obtained by Page Six, O’Hara experienced “difficulty breathing” during her final hours.
Her official cause of death is unknown at this time.
On Saturday, the star’s family revealed plans to hold a “private celebration of life” for her. O’Hara is survived by her husband of 33 years, Beau Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.
