Martin Short’s oldest daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, was remembered Tuesday as a “loving” person who always helped others, even as she quietly struggled with mental health issues that were serious enough that she reportedly checked herself into treatment centers multiple times before her death by suicide at age 42.
“She was such a wonderful, giving, loving human being,” friend Rande Levine told the Daily Mail about Katherine Short, who worked as a licensed clinical social worker and therapist in Los Angeles. She also served on the board of directors of Karma Rescue, a Santa Monica-based animal-rescue nonprofit that Levine founded.
“I knew she was battling with that stuff,” Levine said about Short’s mental health issues. “But she put her soul into helping others that were experiencing the same things she was.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Martin Short and Steve Martin attend the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
TMZ, the Los Angeles Times and People magazine, citing law enforcement sources and the Los Angeles coroner’s office, said Short died by suicide on Monday, Feb. 23. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call from a Hollywood Hills home at 6:41 p.m. and pronounced her deceased.
The Short family confirmed her death in a statement released Tuesday, People reported. The statement 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.”
Katherine Short was adopted by the “Only Murders in the Building” actor and his wife, Nancy Dolman, who died of ovarian cancer in 2010, according to People. The couple shared two other children via adoption, Oliver Patrick, 39, and Henry Hayter, 36.
Following news of Katherine Short’s death, many of the actor and comedian’s A-list friends rushed to the home of his son, Henry, to offer support to the family, including Steven Spielberg, Kurt Russell and Eugene Levy, the Daily Mail reported.
“Short is inconsolable,” a source told the Daily Mail. “For someone who brings so much joy to so many, who is always trying to lift others up and make them laugh, this loss has completely shattered him.”
After Katherine Short received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender sexuality studies from New York University in 2006, she went on to earn her master’s in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010, People reported. She worked in private practice as a licensed clinical social worker and part-time at the clinic, Amae Health, to provide community outreach, family support groups, peer support and psychotherapy.
Katherine Short mostly remained out of the public eye, but attended a few events with her famous father over the years, including the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2011, People said.
A Hollywood Hills neighbor also told the Daily Mail that Katherine Short pretty much kept to herself. “She must have been in so much anguish,” the neighbor said.
Levine told the Daily Mail that her late friend and colleague helped countless clients with mental issues in her work as a clinical social worker. But she still found time to volunteer on behalf of animal rescue and mental health nonprofits, which reportedly included Bring Change 2 Mind, the San Francisco-based nonprofit founded by actor Glenn Close and her family.
Levine also said that Katherine Short took a break several times to check herself into inpatient mental health facilities when she found herself at a low point.
“She’d say, I won’t be around, I’m going away,” Levine said. “She’d go check into some place to boost her up again.”
Levine added that Katherine Short was usually pretty open about her mental health issues, though “you would never know based on how she presented herself, and how funny she was.”
‘She always was smiling, always a pleasure to be around,” Levine continued. “Every experience or connection I had with Katherine was always positive.”
Levine also said Katherine Short once brought her famous actor and comedian father to visit Karma Rescue. “I feel so sad for her dad,” Levine said. “They were so close. He was so supportive of her and a big part of her life.”
Katherine Short’s death comes less than a month after the death of her father’s good friend and collaborator, Catherine O’Hara, the Los Angeles Times reported. The “Best in Show” and “Schitt’s Creek” star died Jan. 30 at age 71 of a pulmonary embolism, while battling with rectal cancer.
Martin Short and his “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Steve Martin paid tribute to O’Hara during a recent stop on their joint comedy tour. But as for their show, “The Best of Steve Martin & Martin Short,” the duo have postponed several upcoming dates in Milwaukee and Minneapolis in the wake of Katherine Short’s death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.