Martin Short breaks silence on daughter Katherine's suicide, recalls her last words

Martin Short has opened up about the tragic death of his daughter Katherine Short, recalling her final words while calling the loss a "nightmare" for the family.

In Short

• Martin Short mourns daughter Katherine's tragic suicide
• Katherine battled severe mental health issues for years
• She battled severe mental health issues including borderline personality disorder

Martin Short opened up about the tragic death of his daughter, Katherine Short. Recalling her final words, the actor described the loss as a “nightmare” for the family while reflecting on Katherine’s long struggle with mental health issues. Martin shared the emotional details while promoting his upcoming documentary, Marty: Life Is Short.

During an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning to promote his documentary, Martin opened up 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 claimed the life of his wife, Nancy Dolman, in 2010.

"It's been a nightmare for the family," Short said of Katherine's death.

"But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife's, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal," he continued. "And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn't. So (Nancy’s) last words to me were ‘Martin, let me go,’ and what (Katherine) was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go,'" he added.

Katherine was the eldest of the three children Martin shared with his late wife, Nancy Dolman. The couple, who were married for more than three decades before Nancy’s death, also had two sons - Oliver, 40, and Henry, 36.

Meanwhile, Martin’s upcoming documentary, Marty: Life Is Short, 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 is set to premiere on Netflix from May 12, 2026.

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