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The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has confirmed that Katherine Short, the eldest child of beloved actor and comedian Martin Short, died by suicide at the age of 42. Her passing occurred on Monday at her residence, with the cause of death officially listed as a “gunshot wound of the head.”
The Short family released a statement on Tuesday, expressing their profound grief: “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.”
In the wake of this tragic news, Martin Short has postponed upcoming dates for his comedy tour, “The Best of Steve Martin and Martin Short,” which features his longtime friend and “Only Murders in the Building” co-star, Steve Martin. Performances scheduled for this weekend in Milwaukee and Minneapolis have been delayed, with venue websites indicating that tickets will be honored for rescheduled dates.
Katherine was one of three children adopted by Short and his late wife, Nancy Dolman. The couple was married for three decades before Dolman passed away in 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Despite his career being largely defined by comedic roles, Short has openly discussed the private heartbreaks he has faced. Following Dolman’s death, he acknowledged the difficult time his children navigated without their mother.
In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, he stated, “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.”
Years later, in 2019, Short reflected on the enduring nature of grief with AARP, saying, “It’s tough. I still communicate with her all the time.
It’s ‘Hey, Nan,’ you know? I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them.
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.”