Following her death, Catherine O’Hara’s three time onscreen husband Bryan Cranston has opened up about what she was really like in a touching tribute and the ‘heartbreaking’ loss he felt
Bryan Cranston has opened up about the “heartbreaking” death of his onscreen wife Catherine O’Hara. The two played husband and wife on three separate occasions – and enemies in Catherine’s last show The Studio – and Bryan has shared what he really thought of her.
Catherine, best known for her roles Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Schitts Creek, died in January 2026. The Canadian-American actress was 71 at the time of her death, which was caused by a pulmonary embolism, which occurred due to her battle with rectal cancer.
She first worked with Bryan Cranston on a 2015 episode of 30 Rock, where they played husband and wife Pearline and Ron, who had been married for seven years before her son Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) found out.
Speaking to Rhea Seehorn about his 11 years of knowing Catherine in one of Variety’s Actors on Actors interviews, Bryan said: “Oh, we miss her so much. I played Catherine O’Hara’s husband in three different productions. And then she was my nemesis in The Studio.
“I miss her so much. She was such a joy to be with. Catherine O’Hara was a person who, you not only marvelled at her comedic chops, but when it’s ‘cut’, you say, ‘I want to sit next to Catherine.’ It was just heartbreaking to lose her.”
In a statement released at the time, Catherine’s agent confirmed she had died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness”. It was later revealed that she had been secretly battling cancer.
Fans were left stunned at the shock news as Catherine chose to never disclose her health issues, but the oncologist who had been treating her confirmed that she had been going to him since May 2025.
Speaking on the podcast Dreams of Our Loved Ones, Michael, her brother, revealed his sister “wasn’t talking much in the end”. He explained: “She didn’t really want to talk on the phone… And she didn’t live close by, she’s in Los Angeles.
“Recently I had a death in the family. Very unexpected and very, very sad. I always cherish the times I can meet with a loved one in the dream state. Actually oddly enough I had a dream days, a few days before she died, my sister. And I was hugging her, which was really beautiful. And I guess it was sort of a goodbye.”
Bryan and Rhea’s involvement in Variety’s unique interview series comes ahead of the second series of The Studio. Catherine had been nominated for awards for her role as Patty Leigh in the show.
Elsewhere in the chat, Bryan spoke about The Studio, which will not feature Catherine, as she died before she was able to film any scenes. But, there will be many famous faces in the show, including Madonna.
Bryan shared that he thought Madonna was “great” in the series. He said her work ethic was “really impressive”, as she had to film whilst dealing with paparazzi, who were trying to grab a picture of her.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
