Everyone Needs to Watch the Eulogy Catherine O'Hara Gave at John Candy's Memorial

It's unclear if anyone from SCTV knew what they had when they were delivering some of the finest sketch comedy around. The original cast consisted of Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, John Candy, and Catherine O'Hara. Everyone went on to do something great, but it was Eugene, John, and Catherine who really stood out. People of a certain age know Eugene and Catherine as Johnny and Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek.

Both Catherine and John were the kind of comedians who were able to bring joy and absolute heartbreak in a single scene. They are usually two sides of the same coin. When John died in March 1994, on Catherine's 40th birthday, she gave a eulogy that was a wonderful mix of the comedy and tragedy mask that is life. In January 2026, Catherine died at the age of 71. Let's take a look back at what she said about her very good friend John.

"Who am I to be talking about John Candy?" asked Catherine at his memorial. "I'll tell you who I am. I'm one of the millions of people whose lives were touched and enriched by the life that was John Candy." This was the beginning of an incredible eulogy that lasted nearly 10 minutes.

She touched on the many ways in which John was part of someone's life. Whether it was asking for an autograph, watching someone's Second City audition, or giving a hotel worker the biggest tip of their life, John was always there. What we learn from Catherine is how John was never too famous to stop and give someone else a moment of his time.

They met in 1974 when John hired Catherine to join Second City. She looked up and said proudly, "Yes, John Candy thought I was funny." According to Catherine, John knew what he was doing in any show or performance. "He was bright and quick and graceful and full of ideas." As was his way, John always had room for someone else's idea.

"The last time I got to work with John was on Home Alone," said Catherine, pausing for a moment. He only had one day to work, but that led to 17 hours of improvising. "John gave himself so completely to every role, big or small. Not just because we all came to expect it from him, but because he loved doing it."

Catherine described John's laugh, which was loud and physical. "He'd throw his head back and put his hand to his heart and let out these welps, welps punctuated by exhilarated silences." The very last time Catherine saw John was at an event honoring the late, great Gilda Radner, she said. He wasn't feeling well, but he still gave it his all on stage. "He was funny and generous, and he reminded us once again why we love him."

She ended with a story about laying John to rest. He is buried in Culver City, in Los Angeles. In order to get to his grave, the funeral procession had to take one of the city's busiest highways. It's always slammed. At some point, Catherine realized the freeway was empty. Behind her, six lanes of traffic were stopped. The California Highway Patrol stopped traffic for John Candy.