Martin Short breaks silence on daughter’s death: “A nightmare for the family”

Martin Short has revealed that the death of his eldest daughter, Katherine, has been “a nightmare for the family”. 

Katherine was the eldest adopted daughter of Short and his late wife Nancy Dolman, and died in February, aged 42, from suicide, according to the Los Angeles coroner.

At the time, the family released a statement announcing the news that said: “Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”

The comedy actor has now opened up for the first time about the personal tragedy in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning on May 10th, ahead of the release of his Netflix documentary, Marty, Life is Short on May 12th. 

“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” he said (via Variety). “But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal.”

Short was referencing the fact that his wife, Dolman, sadly passed away in 2010 following a battle with ovarian cancer.

Opening up further on Katherine’s death, he added: “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.”

Despite his loss, the new Netflix documentary on Short’s life is set to tell the story of his five decades in entertainment, with testimonies from many of his friends and collaborators, including Steve Martin and the late Catherine O’Hara. 

On top of this, Short is set to reprise his role for the sixth series of the comedy hit Only Murders in the Building, in which he stars alongside Martin and Selena Gomez. It was recently revealed that the new series is set to be filmed in London.

For help, advice or more information regarding bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and mental health issues in the UK, visit MindCALM or Samaritans. In the US, visit Samaritans USA.

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