Dan Levy on Losing Beloved ’Schitt’s Creek’ Star Catherine O’Hara

After appearing at Max & Helen’s on Monday night alongside co-creator Rachel Sennott to discuss their new Netflix series Big Mistakes, Dan Levy turned up on the East Coast Tuesday to promote the crime caper on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

The promo tour marks Levy’s first since the passing of Catherine O’Hara, an “extended family” member and beloved Schitt’s Creek co-star. Fallon noted that the first time Levy appeared on his show was with his Schitt’s Creek family including O’Hara. “I’ve just gotta say I’m so sorry about the passing,” said Fallon.

“Listen, it’s like a collective loss, I think,” Levy said in response. “She was the greatest. She’s irreplaceable. The great comfort for me has just been to see how loved she was — the outpouring. Everyone felt like they kind of knew her.”

Fallon praised her as “one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever seen. Can do characters. Gorgeous.” Levy added, “Unbelievably talented at improvising. One of the great, great, great queens.”

O’Hara passed away at 71 in January following a brief illness. In the wake of her death, many of her friends and former co-stars took to social media to share the love and offer condolences to her family. “What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years. Having spent over fifty years collaborating with my Dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her,” Levy posted at the time. “My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke and every member of her big, beautiful family.”

His father, Eugene Levy, shared at the time, “Words seem inadequate to express the loss I feel today. I had the honor of knowing and working with the great Catherine O’Hara for over fifty years. From our beginnings on the Second City stage, to SCTV, to the movies we did with Chris Guest, to our six glorious years on Schitt’s Creek, I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship. And I will miss her. My heart goes out to Bo, Matthew, Luke, and the entire O’Hara family.”