Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy Shares Heartfelt Tribute To Catherine O'Hara That Fans Need To See

Dan Levy stopped by The Tonight Show and, two months after losing Catherine O'Hara, took a beat to talk about her. Short version: it still hurts, and he knows he is not the only one feeling it.

Levy on Fallon: honest, warm, and still a little awestruck

On Tuesday, March 31, Dan Levy, 42, was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. After Jimmy Fallon, 51, offered condolences, Levy described O'Hara as singular and deeply loved. He also made it clear why comedians worship her: in his words, she could improvise like nobody else, and in his heart, she was royalty.

"Listen, it’s like a collective loss, I think. She was the greatest. She’s irreplaceable. I think the great comfort for me has just been to see how loved she was. The outpouring ... everyone felt like they kind of knew her."

Fallon called her one of the funniest comics he has ever seen; Levy agreed and underlined her off-the-cuff genius. He also, with emphasis, put her in the great-queen pantheon of comedy.

The Schitt’s Creek connection, and the family of it all

O'Hara played Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek, opposite Levy as David, Eugene Levy as family patriarch Johnny, and Annie Murphy as Alexis. Dan cocreated the show with his dad, which just reinforces how close this group really was, on and off camera.

After O'Hara died, Dan shared a long, heartfelt Instagram message in January about what it meant to work in her glow for years, calling her extended family even before she played his family, and promising to hold onto every ridiculous, joyful memory they made together. Eugene Levy also paid tribute, saying words barely covered the loss. He traced their 50-plus years of collaboration from the Second City stage to SCTV, through the Christopher Guest films, and finally their six-season run on Schitt's Creek, stressing that beyond the work, it was the friendship he cherished most.

What happened, and how the industry has kept honoring her

O'Hara died in Los Angeles on January 30 at 71. Her reps at Creative Artists Agency said she passed following a brief illness. In February, TMZ reported that an L.A. County Department of Public Health report listed a pulmonary embolism as the primary cause of death, with rectal cancer noted as the underlying cause.

In March, she was honored posthumously at the 2026 SAG Awards, winning Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for Apple TV 's The Studio. In one of her final roles, she played Patty Leigh, a former studio boss turned producer — classic O'Hara: sharp, dry, and effortlessly commanding.

Quick snapshot

• Jan 30: Catherine O'Hara dies in Los Angeles at 71; CAA cites a brief illness.
• February: TMZ, citing L.A. County DPH, reports the primary cause as a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer underlying.
• March 31: Dan Levy talks about her legacy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
• March: O'Hara wins a posthumous SAG Award for The Studio (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series) for playing Patty Leigh.
• Context: O'Hara starred as Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek with Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, and Annie Murphy; Dan and Eugene cocreated the series. Dan and Eugene both shared personal tributes reflecting decades of collaboration with her, from Second City and SCTV to Christopher Guest movies and Schitt's Creek.

There is no replacing Catherine O'Hara. Levy knows it, Fallon knows it, and judging by how people are still talking about her — and awarding her — everyone else knows it too.