Martin Short spoke on CBS Sunday Morning about his daughter Katherine’s death and the family’s grief in the months since.
Martin Short is breaking his silence about the death of his daughter Katherine. and the way he describes the aftermath is hard to read without feeling the weight of it.. On CBS Sunday Morning. the Only Murders in the Building star said it has been “a nightmare for the family. ” marking a moment of openness that many in Hollywood and beyond had been waiting for.
Katherine’s death occurred in late February. when the Los Angeles Police Department and Fire Department responded to her home on February 23.. It was reported that she was found dead there by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.. For the Short family. the loss arrived with devastating speed. and it quickly spread as a tragedy that shocked fans as well as the entertainment community.
The pain for Martin Short has been ongoing for years, not just months.. His wife, Nancy Dolman, the mother of his three children, including Katherine, Oliver, 40, and Henry, 36, died in 2010 from ovarian cancer.. In a way that underlines how long the family has been carrying grief. Short tied those two losses together when he spoke about what lies beneath them.
During the interview. Short compared the illnesses that affected his wife and daughter. saying there is an understanding that “mental health and cancer” can both be terminal.. His words reflect a painful reality: while the causes are different. the emotional impact of losing someone you love can feel equally final.
Katherine’s mental health struggles were also part of Short’s account.. He said his daughter fought for a long time with “extreme mental health. ” including borderline personality disorder and other challenges. and that she did the best she could until she could no longer.. The way he framed her battle emphasized both endurance and exhaustion. portraying a person who kept pushing even as things grew harder.
Short also shared what he described as the last words he received from both Nancy and Katherine.. He said Nancy’s final words to him were “Mart. let me go. ” and that what Katherine was saying. he recalled. was “Dad. let me go.” The parallel. as he described it. captures the family’s shared sense of release through suffering rather than sudden. unexplained change.
In the days after Katherine’s death. Rande Levine. the founder of the dog charity Karma Rescue and a board member connection for Katherine. spoke about what she knew of her life away from the spotlight.. Levine told of seeing Katherine as “such a wonderful. giving. loving human being. ” and said she was pictured with a laugh even as the news landed with crushing impact.
Levine also addressed what she understood about Katherine’s mental health. saying she “knew she was battling with that stuff” while emphasizing that Katherine continued to pour her energy into helping others experiencing similar struggles.. For Levine. it was particularly heartbreaking to learn that someone who contributed so much to those around her had taken her own life.
Beyond mental health. Levine reported that Katherine had been dealing with physical illness as well. describing that she “had been sick” and struggling with “some sort of physical illness.” He suggested that the anguish must have been overwhelming. framing the tragedy as a convergence of burdens that grew too heavy to carry.
With Katherine largely staying out of public view before her passing—she worked as a social worker—her death shifted her from private life to a public symbol of how invisible struggles can become when they culminate in tragedy.. Short’s decision to speak now changes the nature of that visibility. placing his family’s reality and what he believes Katherine endured at the center of the conversation.
In this context. his CBS Sunday Morning comments land as more than grief—they also reflect how mental health and physical illness can intersect in ways that are difficult for outsiders to detect.. By describing borderline personality disorder alongside the idea of terminal illness. Short suggested that suffering doesn’t always announce itself. and that the end of a fight can come long before the world realizes the intensity of it.
For anyone struggling or feeling overwhelmed, the report included a support note pointing to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The guidance recommended contacting 988 by calling, texting, or chatting, or visiting 988lifeline.org, alongside resources for mental health.
Martin Short’s words leave little doubt about the scale of the loss—Katherine’s death in February. the earlier death of his wife in 2010. and the way the family has been forced to navigate grief that doesn’t follow a timetable.. As he said. it has been a nightmare. and the story continues to resonate far beyond the walls of the Short family home.
Martin Short Katherine Short Only Murders in the Building CBS Sunday Morning mental health ovarian cancer Katherine death