Catherine O’Hara Revealed ‘Rare’ Medical Condition Before Her Death

Fans are still reeling from the loss of beloved Hollywood icon Catherine O’Hara, and now a surprising detail from her past is resurfacing — the moment she discovered she had a rare medical condition that most people never learn about in their lifetime.

O’Hara, the beloved star of Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone, and the voice of Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas, died on January 30 at age 71 after what her reps described as a brief illness. But more than 20 years earlier, during a casual doctor visit with her husband Bo Welch, she learned she had a condition that only a tiny percentage of people ever face: dextrocardia situs inversus.

The diagnosis came to light during a 2020 Virtual Happy Hour with Kathryn Hall, where O’Hara revealed how shocked she had been to discover that her heart sits on the right side of her chest instead of the left. Dextrocardia itself is a rare congenital heart defect, and in some cases it can come with other organ reversals or potential complications affecting vital organs, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It’s unknown whether her condition played any role in her death.

O’Hara recalled the moment her doctor broke the news, laughing at how surreal it all felt.
“I’m a freak, yeah!” she joked, remembering how she only needed a TB test for her youngest child’s nursery school. “He calls us into his office and says, ‘You’re the first one I’ve met!’”

She said she preferred not to dive too deep into medical terminology, admitting, “People are going to think I’m so ignorant not to know this, but I kind of don’t want to know. Because I didn’t know before that.”

The revelation also made her wonder about her siblings.
“I’m one of seven kids… I never heard anything about this with anyone else,” she said. “We’re driving home and I think, ‘I wonder about my other siblings, if they know where their hearts are.’”

And in classic Catherine O’Hara fashion, her husband couldn’t resist a joke.
“When the doctor told us that my heart was on the right side and my organs were flipped, my husband immediately said, ‘No, her head’s on backwards.’”

O’Hara’s final days unfolded quickly. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that paramedics were dispatched to her Brentwood home around 5 a.m. on Friday. She was rushed to a nearby hospital in serious condition and was pronounced dead several hours later.

Loved for her wit, warmth, and unforgettable characters, Catherine O’Hara leaves behind a legacy that defined multiple generations of comedy fans — and a surprising medical story she shared with the same charm she brought to every role.