Katherine Short, the 42-year-old daughter of actor and comedian Martin Short, died on Monday at her home in the Hollywood Hills.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a representative for the Only Murders in the Building star said in a statement. “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.”
Katherine was reportedly found dead on Monday evening around 6pm, according to TMZ, which was the first outlet to report the news. A law enforcement source told the Los Angeles Times that Short, a social worker, died by an apparent suicide.
One of three children adopted by Short and his late wife Nancy Dolman, Katherine largely kept out of the spotlight, though she sometimes attended events and walked red carpets with her father. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender sexuality studies from New York University in 2006, as well as a master’s in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010, and went on to work in private practice as a licensed clinical social worker.
She also worked part-time at a clinic to provide community outreach, peer support and psychotherapy, according to People, as well as with Bring Change 2 Mind, a charity that aims to “empower young people to build connected, empathetic and supportive school communities where conversations about mental health are welcome and stigma-free”.
Her mother, Dolman, first met Short in 1972 when they worked together on a production of Godspell. They married in 1980, then welcomed Katherine and her younger brothers, Henry and Oliver, via adoption.
Dolman died from ovarian cancer in 2010, aged 58. The years that followed were “tough”, as Short told the Guardian in 2012. “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.”
Short is currently on a two-man comedy tour with his longtime friend and Only Murders co-star Steve Martin. The next show is scheduled for Friday in Milwaukee.
• In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
