Michael Keaton reflected on his longtime friendship with his late Beetlejuice costar Catherine O'Hara at an event on Friday - just one week after her death.
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Keaton, 74, spoke of O'Hara's legacy as a comedy icon as well as their close connection as friends while attending Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2026 Man of the Year celebration.
O'Hara, who got her start on Second City Television in the mid-1970s before becoming a household name, died at the age of 71 on January 30.
Keaton, who famously worked with O'Hara on Tim Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice, was among the first celebrities to publicly pay tribute when the news of her death emerged.
While speaking to the crowd at Harvard University, Keaton recalled the early days of his and O'Hara's friendship, which they formed years before ever starring in Beetlejuice together.
The actor admitted he was 'he biggest SCTV fan' and that he remembered spending time with O'Hara while he 'was doing a movie in Toronto' one summer, according to People.
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'I remember we must have met or known each other a little bit, because like myself, she has a big family. She's one of seven, and I'm one of seven.
'And so somehow we got to be friends,' Keaton said.
Michael Keaton reflected on his longtime friendship with the late Catherine O'Hara at an event on Friday - just one week after her death; seen in 2024
He was speaking at Harvard University after he was awarded the Hasty Pudding Theatrical's Man of the Year award over the weekend
'I remember a night in Toronto where she had a summer [with her] brothers and sisters, and we were all shooting pool in some bar somewhere,' he continued.
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'But I think I had known her before, kind of having a hard time remembering it.'
Keaton said he was a 'giant fan' of O'Hara already, at that point, 'like everyone else.'
He referred to her as 'kind of a goddess' in the comedy and entertainment industry, adding that others 'knew how brilliant she was and how great she was.'
Along with Beetlejuice, the friends later worked together on the 2005 sports comedy-drama Game 6 and then the Beetlejuice sequel in 2024.
And Keaton recalled how he helped get O'Hara her role in Game 6.
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He said he was already working on the film in Boston when he suggested that they bring O'Hara on the all-star cast.
After speaking to his Game g costar Griffin Dunne about who would play his character's ex-wife in the film, Keaton asked if O'Hara would play the part and he personally gave her a call.
spoke of O'Hara's legacy as a comedy icon as well as their close connection as friends while attending Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2026 Man of the Year celebration
Keaton referred to O'Hara as 'kind of a goddess' in the comedy and entertainment industry; O'Hara seen in 2024
'I guess that was after the first Beetlejuice. But I knew her before that. And to answer your question, I don't remember what the first time was when I met her, but we got to be friends in addition to just working together as well.'
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One week earlier, O'Hara's manager confirmed the Emmy-winning actress and comedy icon, died at 71. The manner of death has yet to be revealed.
The Hollywood star, who was renowned for roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Schitt's Creek, is survived by her longtime husband Bo Welch and their two adult sons Matthew and Luke.
After learning of the tragic news, Keaton was among the first to share a tribute while mourning the devastating loss and honoring her memory.
Some of their more recent public reunions were for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel-related events, just two years earlier.
He shared a photo on the same day and posted a more recent photo of them posing together for a group photo during an event.
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'I don't remember what the first time was when I met her, but we got to be friends in addition to just working together as well,' he told the crowd; Keaton and O'Hara seen in 2024
The pair famously together in the iconic 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice; (L-R) Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder and Jeffrey Jones
'We go back before the first Beetlejuice,' he wrote in his caption. 'She's been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend.'
He continued: 'This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her. Thinking about [her husband Bo] as well.
In Time magazine, he also shared a heartbreaking tribute dedicated to his longtime friend and colleague.
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In the article, he compared the privilege of knowing her to 'breathing rarefied air.' 'To have a woman as your friend is a great thing,' he wrote.
'To have a brilliantly funny woman as your friend is special. To have Catherine O'Hara as your friend is a blessing.'