O’Hara died in Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 30 at the age of 71

Hours after the news that comedy icon Catherine O’Hara had died at 71 on Jan. 30, her rep confirms to PEOPLE that she passed away “after a brief illness.”

Shortly after her death was announced, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department told PEOPLE that they received a call at 4:48 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 for an “approximately 70-year-old” unnamed female at O’Hara’s home address. The woman, presumed to be the Schitt’s Creek alum, was transported to the hospital “in serious condition.”

According to LAFD dispatch audio, the person in distress at the address was having “breathing difficulty.”

Catherine O'Hara and Bo Welch attend the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

Catherine O’Hara and her husband, Bo Welch, at the 2024 Oscars.Kevin Mazur/Getty

The comedy icon was well-known for her roles in films like Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Christopher Guest mockumentaries like Best in Show. 

She also starred in several TV shows, including Schitt’s Creek, in which she played Moira Rose opposite Annie Murphy and Dan and Eugene Levy. In 2020, she won an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role in the beloved series. She also won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for the show.

CATHERINE OHARA AT THE 72ND EMMY AWARDS

Catherine O’Hara after winning an Emmy for ‘Schitt’s Creek’ in 2020.ABC via Getty

Friends and colleagues have been sharing their shock and sadness over the news of O’Hara’s death.

Macaulay Culkin, who played her onscreen son in the holiday classic Home Alone, shared a heart-felt tribute on Instagram, writing, “Mama. I thought we had time.”

“I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say,” he added, along with side-by-side photos of himself and O’Hara in Home Alone and in 2023.

“I love you. I’ll see you later,” he wrote at the end of the post.

“Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful. There is less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, always. Always ♥️,” Pedro Pascal, her Last of Us costar, wrote in a tribute on Instagram, along with a photo of the two of them on set.

O’Hara is survived by her husband of 33 years, production designer Bo Welch, and their two grown sons, Luke and Matthew.