SNL Stuns Millions with a Heartbreaking Tribute to Catherine O’Hara — “A Light Went Out Tonight That Can Never Be Replaced” — Comedy’s Brilliant Icon Passes Away at 71, Leaving Hollywood and Fans Gripped by Shock, Tears, and an Unforgettable Legacy That Will Echo Forever!!

Saturday Night Live remembered Catherine O’Hara after her death with a touching tribute.

During the Jan. 31 episode of the late-night comedy sketch series, which saw Alexander Skarsgård serve as host and Cardi B perform musical guest duties, a tribute card for the actress appeared onscreen right before curtain call.

O’Hara — who died on Friday, Jan. 30, at age 71 after a “brief illness” — was hired to be a cast member on season 6 of SNL, but she lasted only one week.

She resigned before appearing in a single episode that season, which aired between 1980 and 1981, so she could continue to perform as a cast member on the Canadian comedy sketch show SCTV.

O’Hara did return to SNL‘s Studio 8H in later years, however, making a cameo during an October 1998 episode, and then serving as host in April 1991 and October 1992.

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O’Hara was well-known for her roles in films such as Beetlejuice and Home Alone, as well as Christopher Guest mockumentaries like Best in Show. 

She also starred in several TV shows, including Schitt’s Creek, for which she won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.

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

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

O’Hara spoke to PEOPLE in 2014 about her decision to leave SNL early, recalling how, when she got word that SCTV was picked up for another season, she felt she needed to stay with the show.

“Basically, I said, ‘Oh, sorry, I gotta go be with my [comedy] family,’ ” the mother of two recalled of what she told those working behind the scenes on SNL.

SCTV ran from 1976 to 1984 and was an offshoot of Toronto’s famed Second City comedy troupe, where the late comedian Gilda Radner — who eventually left Second City for SNL — got her start.

Looking back, O’Hara told PEOPLE she was “stupid” for not waiting longer to see if SCTV got picked up, explaining, “Yeah, not cool to take a job and leave it. You know what I mean?”

Saturday Night Live will return on Feb. 28 with Heated Rivalry‘s Connor Storrie as host and Mumford & Sons as the musical guest.