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Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine, has tragically died at the age of 42.
Katherine is understood to have taken her own life, according to TMZ.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a statement from the Short family read.
“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 Los Angeles Police Department attended Katherine’s property in the Hollywood Hills on Monday, February 23, shortly after 6pm, a spokesperson told The US Sun.
Katherine lived her life out of the spotlight and was last seen publicly with Martin while celebrating her 40th birthday in 2023, with the likes of Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, and Catherine O’Hara in attendance at the time.
She was a licensed clinical social worker and held a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
Martin adopted Katherine and her two brothers, Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36, with his late wife, Nancy Dolman, who passed away in 2010.
What happened to Martin Short’s wife?
Martin’s wife, Nancy, died at the age of 58 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
The Canadian actress was diagnosed in 2007 and underwent surgery, battling the disease for three years before her passing.
Martin and Nancy had been married for 30 years before her death, and adopted their three children together.
In 2019, Martin opened up about the grief of losing his wife and said he often still feels his presence around her.
“I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them,” he told AARP Magazine. “The idea that it just ends, and don’t speak of them — that’s wrong… to me, she’s still here.”
Martin described Nancy’s death as “by far the most awful thing I’ve been through” in his 2014 memoir, I Must Say.
What happened to Martin Short’s family?
Martin has suffered much tragedy in his life, having lost both of his parents and his brother before the age of 20.
Martin was born in March 1950 as the youngest of five children, having three brothers, David, Michael, and Brian, and a sister, Nora.
However, tragedy struck in 1962 when Martin’s eldest brother, David, died in a car accident in Montreal.
Martin was just 12 years old at the time and later opened up about the heartbreaking loss.
“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,” he told CBC News.
Six years later, when Martin was 17 years old, his mother, Olive, died after a years-long battle with cancer.
Two years later, his father, Charles, died following complications from a stroke.
He has told how the tragedies shaped him as a person and taught him how to live with grief, preparing him for more challenging things later in life.
“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,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.
“The only thing I can think of is that these kind of life stresses either empower you or defeat you.”
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