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Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, has died. She was 42.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short. The Short family is devastated by this loss and asks for privacy at this time,” Martin’s rep confirmed in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 24. “Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Us that officers responded to a radio call of a possible suicide attempt in the Hollywood Hills on Tuesday, February, 23, at 6:43 p.m. Officers found a deceased female at the location. Her official cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Martin adopted Katherine with late wife Nancy Dolman, who died in August 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer. The couple also shared sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36, whom they welcomed via adoption.
In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Martin shared that “it’s been a tough two years” for his children. “This is the thing of life that we live in denial about, that it will ever happen to us or our loved ones, and when it does you gain a little and you suffer a little,” Martin said at the time. “There’s no big surprise.”
Four years after Dolman’s death, Martin reflected on mourning the loss with his children and loved ones.
“(Nancy) had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral and I don’t want a memorial. Throw a party, or not.’ She just was so irritated that she was losing this battle, she didn’t want to think about it,” Martin recalled during a 2014 appearance on The Meredith Vieira Show. “So I just followed her wishes. We went up, we had a party with about 30 close friends and family. She was cremated. The kids and I went into a boat, we sprinkled the ashes into the water, and we jumped into the ashes.”
In the years since, Martin has been candid about how he has coped. “It’s tough,” Martin told AARP, explaining that he tries to maintain a positive outlook. “I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey, Nan,’ you know?”
The Only Murders in the Building star shared that he tries to think about how she would react to decisions he makes, “especially” when it comes to their three children.
“I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them,” he said. “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.”
Martin went on to note that the death of his wife “emboldened” him to “take risks.” He added, “With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It’s the yin to the yang: the positive part of life’s dark side.”
Since Dolman’s death, Martin has sparked romance rumors with Only Murders in the Building costar Meryl Streep. Martin, however, has denied the idea.
“We’re not a couple,” Martin said during an appearance on the “Club Random with Bill Maher” podcast in January 2024. “We are just very close friends.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
