Emmy Award-winning comedian Catherine O’Hara was one of the noteworthy and influential people who passed away in January of this year.
She began her career with the Toronto comedy group Second City. But O’Hara is best known for her roles as Macaulay Culkin’s mother in the first two “Home Alone” films and as the dramatic, dim-witted matriarch Moira Rose on the TV series “Schitt’s Creek.”
January also saw the death of notorious CIA traitor Aldrich Ames, whose betrayal of Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia is considered one of the most damaging intelligence leaks in U.S. history. The secrets he leaked were blamed for the executions of Western agents and were a major setback for the CIA during the Cold War.
Others who died in January include South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki, Grateful Dead member Bob Weir, “Dilbert” comics creator Scott Adams and Italian designer Valentino Garavani.
Here is a roll call of some of the influential people who died this year (please indicate cause of death, if applicable):
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January___
Diane Crump, 77. In 1969, she became the first woman to compete professionally in horse racing and a year later became the first female jockey in the Kentucky Derby. January 1st.
Ahn Sung-ki, 74. He is one of the greatest stars of Korean cinema, whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public persona earned him the nickname “National Actor.” January 5th.
Aldrich Ames, 84. The CIA traitor who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most devastating intelligence leaks in U.S. history died in prison. January 5th.
Béla Tarr, 70 years old. The renowned Hungarian filmmaker has directed works such as “Satantango” and “The Turin Horse” and has received numerous awards for his feature-length and often darkly comedic films. January 6th.
Glenn Hall, 94. Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” he is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and made 502 consecutive starts as a goaltender in triathlons, still an NHL record. January 7th.
Bob Weir, 78. The guitarist and singer was a key member of the Grateful Dead, who helped discover the sound of 1960s San Francisco counterculture and kept it alive through decades of endless touring and marathon jam sessions. January 10th.
Scott Adams, 68. His hit comic Dilbert captured the frustrations of beleaguered white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the absurdities of modern office culture until he was abruptly removed from the comics organization in 2023 over racist comments. January 13th.
John Forté, 50. The Grammy-nominated musician is known for his work with Refugee Camp and Refugee Camp All Stars, among others. January 12th.
Claudette Colvin, 86. Her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus in 1955 sparked the modern civil rights movement. Nine months after her arrest at age 15, Rosa Parks became internationally famous for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. January 13th.
Valentino Garavani, 93. He was a wealthy Italian designer whose high-glam gowns – often in his signature “Valentino red” – have been a staple on the catwalks for nearly half a century. January 19th.
Ota Zaremba, 68. He won a weightlifting gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics before admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs as part of a secret program run by the former Czechoslovak totalitarian regime. January 23rd.
William Foege, 89. As a physician, he was a leader in one of humanity’s greatest public health triumphs—the global eradication of smallpox. January 24th.
Catherine O’Hara, 71. The talented Canadian-born comedian and “SCTV” actor played Macaulay Culkin’s busy mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy for her dramatic, wealthy matriarch Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek.” January 30th.
Demond Wilson, 79. He rose to fame in the 1970s playing Lamont on “Sanford and Son,” and later became a pastor. January 30th.
