Martin Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short dies
Martin Short’s eldest daughter, Catherine Hartley Short, has died at the age of 42.
Less than three months after losing his eldest daughter, Martin Short has opened up about his grief in a new interview.
The 76-year-old “Murder in the Bills” star reflected on the death of his daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, in a conversation with “CBS Sunday Morning” that aired May 10. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office previously confirmed that Short’s 42-year-old daughter died by suicide.
“It’s been a nightmare for my family,” Short told CBS. “But, like my wife, there was an understanding that mental health and cancer are both illnesses and, in some cases, terminal conditions. And my daughter struggled for a long time with extreme mental health, including borderline personality disorder, and did her best until she couldn’t anymore.”
He added that he wants to help bring “mental health” out of the shadows so people are “not ashamed” to talk about it. “Instead of hiding behind the word suicide, accept that this may be the final stage of the disease,” he says.
Short also talked about losing many people in his life over the past year, including his sister-in-law, daughter, and friends Diane Keaton, Rob and Michelle Reiner, and Catherine O’Hara. “It’s amazing,” he said, adding that he “can’t” wrap his head around all the losses. “You just have to breathe in and breathe out.”
Short’s representative 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 loved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought to the world.” The “Three Amigos” actor shared Katherine with wife Nancy Dolman Short, who died of ovarian cancer in 2010. They also had two sons.
Short has faced many losses in his life since childhood. When he was 12 years old, his older brother died in a car accident, and within a few years, his parents also died.
“I was preceded in death by my brother David. He was the star of the family,” Short said at an event during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles on May 7, according to People. “Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer at her funeral and passed away three years later. My father passed away the following year.”
Short told “CBS Sunday Morning” that losing her brother, mother and father by the age of 20 gave her “perspective” on grief.
“Ever since I was a child, I understood that the end of life comes to us all, and for some it comes too soon,” he said. “We have to celebrate what we’ve been through with them and we’re so fortunate. … When I think about them, they just went next door for a while.”
A new Netflix documentary about the comedian, “Marty, Life Is Short,” will be released on May 12th.
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.. The Crisis Text Line also provides free 24/7 confidential support via text message when people in crisis dial 741741.
Contributor: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
