Katherine Short, the daughter of comedian Martin Short and a Los Angeles social worker, is dead. She was 42.
Martin Short and his family are plunged into yet another tragedy.
Katherine Short Dead
Katherine’s family confirmed her death with the following statement:
“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. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
The LAPD and fire department responded to her Hollywood Hills home on Monday, a little after 6 pm PT. Paramedics pronounced her dead shortly after.
A law enforcement source told TMZ that Katherine died by apparent suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Her Life
Katherine Short was the eldest of three children Martin Short adopted with his wife, Nancy Dolman. Unlike her superstar parents, Short chose a career path away from the entertainment industry.
She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender studies from NYU in 2006, later earning a master’s degree in social work from USC in 2010.
After her master’s, Katherine worked at UCLA’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital for four years, then went to the Camden Center, a mental health clinic in West L.A.
Katherine then created her own private practice, working part-time at an outpatient clinic and volunteering with a nonprofit organization called Bring Change to Mind.
Katherine did appear alongside her father during some social events, but mostly preferred to be out of the spotlight.
Short has commented about none of his children going into the entertainment industry.
In a 2012 appearance on Conan, he said, “None of them wanted to go into show business, and I pushed them. I wanted them to go into show business. I make them do laps in the morning and I go to the balcony with my coffee and say, ‘Quitter! Do it again!'”
Short and Dolman
Martin Short and Nancy Dolman first met in 1972 during a production of Godspell. They married in 1980. Dolman unfortunately passed in August 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
At that time, Short told The Guardian, “It’s been a tough two years for my 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. There’s no big surprise.”
Tough Times for Martin Short
Martin Short has had a bunch of tough blows. Fifteen years ago, he lost his wife, Nancy Dolman, to ovarian cancer at just 58 years old.
This year, Katherine’s death comes just a month after actress Catherine O’Hara passed from a pulmonary embolism. O’Hara had also been fighting rectal cancer. The actress was a close friend and longtime collaborator of Martin Short.
The comedian and Only Murders in the Building co-star Steve Martin paid tribute to O’Hara during their comedy tour.
Recalling meeting O’Hara, Short commented, “In all these years later, she has been the greatest, most brilliant, kindest, sweetest angel.”