She leaves behind a body of work that feels almost impossible to measure. From the desperate tenderness of Kate McCallister racing home to her son, to the gloriously eccentric Moira Rose reinventing herself in a small-town motel, O’Hara gave every role a heartbeat. Her characters were never just punchlines; they were flawed, hopeful, deeply human people who made audiences feel seen even while they laughed.
Colleagues describe her as generous, meticulous, and endlessly curious, the quiet anchor on any set. At home, in the life she fiercely protected from the spotlight, she shared decades of marriage with Bo Welch and pride in their two sons. As tributes pour in from around the world, what emerges is not just the portrait of a star, but of a woman who turned comedy into connection, and timing into timelessness.
