Martin Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short dies
Martin Short’s eldest daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, died at 42.
Martin Short is opening up about grief in a new interview, less than three months after the loss of his eldest daughter.
The “Only Murders in the Building” star, 76, reflected on his daughter Katherine Hartley Short’s death in a conversation with “CBS Sunday Morning” that aired on May 10. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office previously confirmed that Short’s daughter, 42, died by suicide.
“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” Short told CBS. “But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife [had], are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases, they are terminal. And 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.”
He added that he wants to help take “mental health out of the shadows” so people aren’t “ashamed” of talking about it. “Not hiding from the word suicide, but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” he said.
Short also spoke about losing numerous people in his life over the past year, including his sister-in-law, daughter and friends Diane Keaton, Rob and Michele Reiner and Catherine O’Hara. “It’s staggering,” he said, adding that he “can’t” wrap his mind around all the loss. “You just have to breathe in, breathe out.”
A representative for Short confirmed Katherine Hartley Short’s death in February, saying in a statement shared with USA TODAY, “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.” The “Three Amigos” actor shared Katherine with wife Nancy Dolman Short, who died in 2010 from ovarian cancer. They also had two sons.
Short has dealt with many losses in his life starting at a young age. When he was 12, his older brother died in a car accident, and both of his parents also died within a few years.
“My older brother David died first. He was the star of the family,” Short shared at a May 7 event during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles, according to People. “Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer at his funeral and died three years later. My father died the year after that.”
Speaking on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Short said losing his brother, mother and father by the time he was 20 gave him a “perspective” on grief.
“I did have an understanding from my childhood [that] the end of life was going to happen to all of us, and [for] some, it’s too early,” he said. “We have to celebrate and be lucky enough the experiences that we’ve had with them. … Just to think of them, they’ve just gone into the next room for a while.”
“Marty, Life Is Short,” a new Netflix documentary about the comedian, will begin streaming May 12.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY