Martin Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short dies
Martin Short’s eldest daughter, Catherine Hartley Short, has died at the age of 42.
Martin Short’s eldest daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, has passed away. She was 42 years old.
Short’s representatives confirmed the news to USA TODAY in a statement on Tuesday, February 24, asking for privacy for the family.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Catherine Hartley Short,” the statement said.
“The Short family is devastated by this loss and requests privacy at this time,” the statement continued. “Catherine was loved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought to the world.”
TMZ was first to report the news. USA TODAY contacted the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office for more information.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told USA TODAY on Feb. 24 that on Feb. 23 at approximately 6:41 p.m., “officials responded to a report of a shooting” at a Hollywood Hills address associated with Hartley-Short and identified “a female, approximately 41 years old,” who had died.
Ms. Short’s daughter graduated from New York University in 2006 and earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California School of Social Work in 2010. She is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in adoption, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, grief and loss, suicidality, and relationship difficulties.
While studying for her master’s degree in social work, Hartley-Short led group and individual therapy sessions for veterans diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. She then worked for four years at UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
Her mother, Short’s late wife Nancy Dolman Short, passed away in August 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Short revealed on Conan in 2019 that none of his children wanted to go into show business, but said, “I pushed them. I wanted them to go into show business.”
Short and Dolman also had two sons, Oliver Patrick and Henry Hayter. They adopted all three children.

