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Catherine O’Hara’s Death Certificate Cites Pulmonary Embolism Linked to Rectal Cancer

The document discloses a previously private rectal cancer diagnosis.

Overview

  • The Los Angeles County death certificate, released Feb. 9 and published by TMZ, identifies a pulmonary embolism as the immediate cause with rectal cancer as the underlying cause.
  • O’Hara, 71, died Jan. 30 at a hospital in Santa Monica after an early-morning emergency in which paramedics responded to breathing difficulties and transported her in serious condition.
  • The oncologist who signed the certificate reported treating her since March 2025 and last seeing her on Jan. 27.
  • The certificate records that she was cremated and that her remains were given to her husband, Robert “Bo” Welch.
  • Representatives had previously described her passing as occurring following a brief illness, and colleagues and fans have continued to share tributes to her five-decade career.