Catherine O'Hara, who starred in Home Alone and Schitt's Creek, has died

Catherine O'Hara, the Emmy-winning actor who starred as Kevin's beleaguered mother in Home Alone and Moira Rose in Schitt's Creek, has died.

The Canadian-American comedy star was 71.

She died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles "following a brief illness," her agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), said in a statement. No further details were available.

O'Hara's career was launched at the Second City Theatre in Toronto in the 1970s, where she first worked with Eugene Levy, who would become a lifelong collaborator - and her Schitt's Creek costar.

While at Second City, she helped create the sketch comedy show SCTV, which would help launch the careers of other top Canadian comedians, including Martin Short and Andrea Martin.

She was nominated for an Emmy in two of her recent roles, in HBO's post-apocalypse drama, The Last of Us, and as a Hollywood producer in The Studio.

She is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and sons Matthew and Luke.

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