Catherine O’Hara, whose remarkable career spanned decades, passed away at 71 this past Friday, leaving behind not only a legacy of captivating performances but also a heartwarming Hollywood romance. Her love story with Bo Welch, a celebrated production designer, is one for the ages.

The Canadian actress first crossed paths with Welch in the late 1980s on the set of the iconic film “Beetlejuice,” directed by Tim Burton. As O’Hara delivered her memorable performance alongside Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, Welch was behind the scenes, crafting the film’s distinctive visual style that would become a hallmark of Burton’s work.

It was during the filming of exterior scenes in Vermont that Welch gathered the courage to ask O’Hara out. From that moment, the couple was inseparable, their budding romance as vibrant as the film’s eye-catching backdrops.

By the time “Beetlejuice” hit theaters in 1988, O’Hara and Welch were already a well-known couple in Hollywood circles. Their relationship blossomed, culminating in a wedding in 1992. Together, they built a life filled with love and laughter, welcoming two sons along the way.

Welch asked O’Hara out when they were shooting exterior scenes in Vermont, and they became inseparable.

When the quirky film was released in 1988, they were already a hot item. In 1992, the lovebirds made their union official as they tied the knot and they went on to welcome two sons.

They were still very much together at the time of her death at their home on the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Catherine O’Hara, who died at the age of 71 on Friday, had a rare and amazing Hollywood love story. Seen in 1990 

.he talented actress from Canada fell in love with her husband Bo Welch in the late 1980s while on the set of an iconic movie. Seen in 1993

O’Hara has shared the cute story of how they fell for each other on set.

She explained that she started to fancy Welch after they had many conversations together.

But she was miffed when he failed to ask her out on a romantic date. So she took it up with director Burton, who set the wheels in motion.

Burton helped the pair get together by arranging a trip to a swap meet with the film’s art department, he told People.

‘I was grouching to Tim Burton about how this guy was talking to me all the time and never asking me out,’ O’Hara recalled to InStyle in January 2018. ‘We had a break between filming in Los Angeles and on location, and in that time, Tim told Bo that he should ask me out.’

Soon they were dining together in cozy restaurants and building a strong bond that led to love.

Canadian O’Hara moved to California to be closer to with Welch. ‘I moved to L.A. to be with him,’ she told The New Yorker in 2019. ‘Yeah, I moved for love.’

They wed in April 1992.

After O’Hara and Welch got married, Burton gave them tickets for a private tour of the Vatican.

‘It was a very inside kind of deal,’ O’Hara said on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

The strawberry blonde was starring in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice with Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton. Bo Welch was working as a production designer as he created eye-popping backdrops for the scenes. Seen in the 1980s

Welch asked O’Hara out when they were shooting exterior scenes in Vermont, and they became inseparable. When the quirky film was released in 1988, they were already a hot item.  Seen in 1997

In 1992, the lovebirds made their union official as they tied the knot. Seen in 1998

Hand in hand at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 2, 2025 in Beverly Hills

‘Ok, so a priest took us around — he got yelled at at one point,’ O’Hara recalled. ‘I wish I spoke Italian, but he was definitely getting yelled at by another priest because we were in the pope’s closet, like, looking at garments and stuff. It was crazy.’

They also had fun in a gift shop. ‘And this priest is just letting us open cases, and pretending to put a crown inside Bo’s backpack, taking pictures,’ she added.

They went on to have two kids: sons Matthew, born in 1994, and Luke, born in 1997. 

‘Matthew and Luke … They’re very funny, and we encourage it,’ O’Hara told the Toronto Star in June 2007.

‘The older one does Warners cartoon bits, really old-fashioned, cheap-ass funny vaudeville stuff. And the little one does word play.’

Seen at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater in LA on September 14, 2025

They were still together at the time of her death at their home on the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles

The beauty when she was on Saturday Night Live in 1980

O’Hara and Welch share a unique sense of humor. 

At the 2021 Golden Globes Awards, O’Hara received the award for Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for her work in Schitt’s Creek. 

Because the awards ceremony was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, she gave her acceptance speech virtually with her husband by her side.

As she talked, Welch played audio of an audience clapping. When she came toward the end of her speech, he played music to let O’Hara know to wrap it up. ‘Seriously?’ she jokingly said to Welch at the time.

O’Hara died at her Brentwood area home in Los Angeles ‘following a brief illness,’ according to a statement from her agency, CAA. Further details were not immediately available. 

The artist is survived by her husband Welch and sons Matthew and Luke, along with siblings Michael O’Hara, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Maureen Jolley, Marcus O‘Hara, Tom O’Hara and Patricia Wallice.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family, according to her representative.