Martin Short’s eldest daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, died at 42 in February after a friend conducted a welfare check at her home following a 24-hour silence. Short confirmed the death and later spoke publicly about mental health struggles and the need to t
By the time a friend used a spare key to enter Katherine Hartley Short’s bedroom, more than a day had already passed without contact.
Martin Short had initiated the wellness check after he hadn’t heard from his eldest daughter. Katherine Hartley Short. in more than 24 hours. according to findings from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department. The Emmy-winning actor, 76, made the request on Feb. 23, and the friend located a note on her bedroom door before calling 911.
Authorities later forced entry into the room, where they found Katherine Hartley Short dead on her bed.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department report said Short’s death was confirmed in February. A representative for Martin Short confirmed the death on Feb. 24 in a statement shared with U.S. media. The statement said: “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.”.
Short later described the period after his daughter’s death as a “nightmare for the family” in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that aired on May 10. He said recent months were defined by a difficult understanding that mental health and cancer are both illnesses—sometimes terminal.
In the interview. Short said his daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health. describing it as involving borderline personality disorder and other factors. “and did the best she could until she couldn’t.” He also said he wants more people to take “mental health out of the shadows” so that people aren’t “ashamed” of discussing it. and he called for a willingness to say the word suicide instead of hiding from it.
He framed suicide not as an abstract concept but as a possible final stage of an illness, telling CBS: “Not hiding from the word suicide, but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness.”
Short also shared that he had learned early about the fragility of life. He discussed the deaths of his brother, mother, and father, all of which occurred by the time he was 20. “I did have an understanding from my childhood [that] the end of life was going to happen to all of us. and [for] some. it’s too early. ” he said. “We have to celebrate and be lucky enough the experiences that we’ve had with them. … Just to think of them, they’ve just gone into the next room for a while.”.
Katherine Hartley Short was 42. Short is also the father of sons Oliver, 30, and Henry, 36, with his wife, Nancy Dolman Short, who died in 2010 from ovarian cancer.
For people struggling with thoughts of suicide or in crisis, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988, and at 988lifeline.org. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message when people dial 741741.
Martin Short Katherine Hartley Short wellness check Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline mental health borderline personality disorder suicide
So sad. Welfare checks are important I guess.
Wait she was alone for 24 hours?? That’s crazy. I hope they take those notes more serious when people are silent that long.
Borderline personality disorder and cancer? I’m not even sure how that works together… like does one cause the other or is it just they found both? Either way, that’s heartbreaking. Also why did it take a spare key to get in? Seems like a long time.
This makes me mad. Like everyone does the “welfare check” thing but then it still takes over a day? If they had her phone pinged or whatever maybe… But then again, actors are rich and still it took forever, so what chance does regular people have? Mental health is real, but it also feels like the system moves slow.