Martin Short breaks silence on daughter Katherine’s suicide, remembers her last words
Martin Short has opened up about the death of his daughter Catherine Short and recalled her last words, describing the loss as a “nightmare” for the family.
Martin Short opens up about the death of his daughter Kathryn Short, who died by suicide in February 2026. Recalling her last words, the actor described the loss as a “nightmare” for the family, considering Katherine’s long struggle with mental health issues. Martin shared emotional details while promoting his upcoming documentary, Marty: Life is short.
during an appearance on cbs sunday morning To promote his documentary, Martin spoke about the devastating loss of his 43-year-old daughter, Katherine, who died by suicide in February 2026. The actor also drew parallels between Katherine’s mental health struggles and the illness that took the life of his wife, Nancy Dolman, in 2010.
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Speaking about Katherine’s death, Short said, “It’s been a nightmare for the family.”
“But the understanding is that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both illnesses, and sometimes with illnesses they become incurable,” he added. “And my daughter struggled for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and kept doing her best until she couldn’t anymore. So (Nancy’s) last words to me were ‘Martin, let me go,’ and she (Katherine) was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go,'”
Katherine was the eldest of three children born to Martin and his late wife, Nancy Dolman. The couple, who were married for more than three decades before Nancy’s death, also have two sons – Oliver, 40, and Henry, 36.
Meanwhile, Martin’s upcoming documentary, Marty: Life is shortIt is expected to explore the actor’s personal journey, career milestones and the tragedies he has faced over the years.
The documentary will reportedly include moments from his marriage to Nancy Dolman and insights into his family life. It will premiere on Netflix from May 12, 2026.