Martin Short has made a name for himself as a comedic actor, but away from the screen, he has dealt with some heartbreaking personal tragedies.

The 75-year-old was just 12 when he experienced his first tragic loss, the death of his older brother, David. He then lost both of his parents before he was 21, and his wife of 30 years died in 2010.

More recently, his beloved daughter, Katherine, was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home on Monday, February 23. She was just 42 years old.

Martin has spoken in the past about how he has coped with his many family tragedies, revealing that he doesn’t let grief “defeat” him.

“All I know is that you only know your own life,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024.

“At 20, I knew things about life and death and tragedy and loss that none of my friends knew about. I don’t know why this didn’t screw me up. The only thing I can think of is that these kind of life stresses either empower you or defeat you. 

“But I think that by surviving all that and continuing on, I developed muscles to handle the disappointments in life.”

Speaking to People, he previously said: “There isn’t a period of my life that I don’t like to think about or wouldn’t go back to. It sounds like a tragic family, but it really isn’t.”

First heartbreak

Martin was born the youngest of five children; he had three brothers, David, Michael, and Brian, and a sister, Nora.

In 1992, at just 12 years old, he suffered his first heartbreak when his eldest brother, David, died in a car accident.

After he published his memoir in 2014, he told CBC News about writing about his brother’s death: “What you don’t know when you start is how open you’re going to be: what you’re going to tell, what you’re not going to tell, what you feel comfortable telling.”

Orphaned at 20

Martin and his siblings were born to Irish and English immigrants, Olive Grace and Charles Patrick Short. His mother had battled cancer for several years before she died in 1998 from ovarian cancer.

Just two years later, his father died following complications from a stroke, leaving him an orphan at just 20 years old.

Death of beloved wife

In 1972, Martin fell for his beloved wife, fellow actress Nancy Dolman, after meeting her on a Toronto production of Godspell. In his memoir, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend, he said it was “love at first sight.” 

The pair married in 1980, and five years later, Nancy retired from the spotlight to be a stay-at-home mom to their three adopted children, Henry, Katherine, and Oliver.

After 30 years of marriage, Nancy died of ovarian cancer in 2010. In his memoir, he described her death as “by far the most awful thing I’ve been through.”

In a 2019 interview with AARP, Martin said of his late wife: “Our marriage was a triumph. So it’s tough. She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey, Nan,’ you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids.”

Daughter’s death

HELLO! confirmed that Martin’s daughter, Katherine, died at the age of 42 on Monday, February 23, from a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a rep for Martin told HELLO!

“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.”

While Martin’s children all chose to lead lives out of the spotlight, Katherine did occasionally attend parties with her father. In May 2003, Martin and Nancy were joined by Katherine for the after-party of The Producers, and Katherine also joined her father at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2011.

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