Michael Keaton fondly reminisced about his long-standing friendship with Catherine O’Hara, his co-star from Beetlejuice, following her recent passing.
During an event on Friday where he was honored as the 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Keaton shared his initial memories of meeting O’Hara. He mentioned his admiration for her work on the comedy show SCTV back in the early ’80s.
“I was a huge fan of ‘SCTV,'” the 74-year-old actor remarked. “I’m a big fan of SCTV.”
Keaton found it a bit difficult to recall exactly when they first met, but he noted their common backgrounds—both being from large families. “She’s one of seven, and I’m one of seven. So, somehow we became friends,” he added.
He reminisced about spending time in Toronto, saying, “I remember the nights in Toronto where she spent her summers with her brothers and sisters, and we were all playing pool in a bar somewhere.” Yet, he admitted that it was challenging to remember specific details after knowing her for so long.
Keaton described O’Hara as a “goddess” of comedy and expressed that her success was widely understood among her peers, given her remarkable talent. He also shared that he supported her casting as his ex-wife in the 2005 film Game 6, reflecting on their professional journey together since before the original Beetlejuice.
He highlighted their collaborations, including the film The Paper in 1994 and their upcoming work in the Beetlejuice sequel. “I think it was after the first ‘Beetlejuice,'” he recollected, adding a nostalgic touch about their friendship.
After O’Hara’s death on January 30 at the age of 71 due to a brief illness, Keaton penned a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, reminiscing about their shared history. “We go back to before the first ‘Beetlejuice,'” he wrote alongside a photo of them together. “She pretended to be my wife, pretended to be my nemesis, and was a true friend in real life. This hurts. I will miss her,” he lamented, also mentioning her husband, Beau Welch, whom she had married for 33 years.
On the morning of her passing, O’Hara was taken to a Los Angeles hospital in serious condition; reports revealed she was having difficulty breathing. The cause of her death remains undisclosed.
