Martin Short breaks silence on daughter’s tragic suicide two months after her death at 42

Martin Short has opened up about the tragic suicide of his daughter Katherine Hartley Short at 42 less than three months ago, calling it ‘a nightmare for the family.’

Katherine, who had worked with a mental health nonprofit called Bring Change To Mind, died via a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed in February.

Short, 76, spoke with CBS Sunday Mornings about the family tragedy, comparing it to the 2010 death of his wife Nancy Dolman via cancer.

‘The understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal,’ said the star of Father of the Bride, Three Amigos! and Only Murders in the Building.

He continued, ‘My daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t.’

A representative for Short confirmed the tragic passing in a statement in February. 

Martin Short, 76, has opened up about the tragic suicide of his daughter Katherine Hartley Short at 42 less than three months ago, calling it ‘a nightmare for the family’

‘It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,’ Short’s representative said in a statement. ‘The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time.

‘Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.’ 

Katherine was a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. 

In the wake of his daughter’s tragic death, Short was visited at his Southern California home by peers such as Eugene Levy, Steven Spielberg, Kurt Russell and Paul Shaffer. 

The entertainer appeared on the network to promote his new Netflix documentary Marty: Life Is Short. 

Short dedicated the documentary to both Katherine and his late friend and colleague Catherine O’Hara, who died in January at the age of 71. 

Officials with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed O’Hara’s cause of death as the result of a pulmonary embolism, with rectal cancer listed as an underlying cause. 

Short is father is Katherine and sons Oliver Patrick, 39, and Henry Hayter, 36, with his late spouse. Short and Dolman were married for 30 years before she died of ovarian cancer in 2010.

O’Brien ended Sunday’s ceremony saying, ‘We love you Martin Short!’ less than a month after the tragic suicide of Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short at the age of 42 

Short said his late daughter ‘did the best she couldn’t until she couldn’t’

Speaking about his wife in a 2019 AARP interview, Short described their marriage as a ‘triumph.’

He said: ‘She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s “Hey, Nan,” you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids.’

Short also said that he has never been one of those people who think death means means ‘the end.’

‘I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them,’ said Short. ‘This idea that it just ends, and don’t speak of them – that’s wrong.

‘That’s based on denial that we’re all going to die. So to me, she’s still here.’

In his 2014 memoir I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend, Short said Dolman’s death is ‘by far the most awful thing I’ve been through.’

And as he supported his children through the grief of losing their mother, Short drew from his own experiences.

Speaking to his youngest child, son Henry, the night before his wife died, he told him: ‘This will make you stronger. This will make you more determined.’

According to a logline from the streamer, ‘Martin Short looks back on a life fueled by joy in this documentary with classic clips, fresh interviews and star-studded, never-before-seen home movies.’

Life Is Short debuts May 12 on Netflix. 

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