Martin Short’s Daughter Katherine Short Dies at 42; Medical Examiner Confirms Cause
Katherine Short, a Los Angeles–based licensed clinical social worker and the eldest daughter of actor martin short, has died at 42. The death, announced by the family, was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as a suicide by gunshot wound to the head, and it has prompted the postponement of upcoming tour dates featuring Martin Short and Steve Martin.
Los Angeles Fire Department response
Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department went to Short’s Hollywood Hills residence on Monday at about 6 p. m. Paramedics pronounced her dead shortly after arrival. The place of death is listed as her home, and the death occurred on Monday evening.
Los Angeles County Medical Examiner findings
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined the cause of death as a gunshot wound of the head and has ruled the death a suicide. Law enforcement and medical officials have recorded those determinations in the official file.
Martin Short postpones tour dates
In the days after Katherine Short’s death, Martin Short postponed live appearances on the two-man comedy tour he shares with Steve Martin. Promoters and venues updated schedules for stops that had been planned in Milwaukee and Minneapolis for the coming weekend. The Riverside Theater in Milwaukee canceled the performance originally scheduled for Friday, February 27, saying tickets will be honored for a future rescheduled date; Hennepin Theatre Trust in Minneapolis confirmed a similar update. The tour had been slated to play the Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee on Friday before the postponement.
Education, practice and Amae Health
Katherine Short held a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender studies from New York University, earned in 2006, and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010. She worked in private practice as a licensed clinical social worker and provided part-time services at the psychiatry-led outpatient clinic Amae Health, delivering community outreach, peer support and psychotherapy. She was also involved with the charity Bring Change 2 Mind, which focuses on reducing stigma around mental illness.
Family background and Nancy Dolman
The family confirmed the death naming her Katherine Hartley Short and asking for privacy, saying the Short family is devastated and that Katherine was beloved and remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world. Public material from earlier years includes a 2011 portrait that identified her as Katherine Elizabeth Short. She was the eldest of three children Martin Short adopted with his late wife, Nancy Dolman. Dolman and Martin Short met while working on a Toronto production of the rock musical Godspell, married in 1980 and raised their three adopted children together; Dolman died of ovarian cancer in 2010 at age 58. Katherine’s younger brothers are named Henry and Oliver, and a family portrait caption includes the name Oliver Patrick.
Catherine O'Hara's death and awards context
Katherine Short’s death comes less than a month after the death of Catherine O’Hara, a longtime friend and collaborator of Martin Short who died of a pulmonary embolism after privately fighting rectal cancer. Martin Short and Steve Martin paid tribute to O’Hara during a recent stop on their joint tour; Martin Short described her as a brilliant, kind and singular presence in his life. The timing intersects with industry awards season: Martin Short is up for an Actor Award this Sunday for his portrayal of Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building, a series also nominated in the ensemble category and which co-stars Selena Gomez. Catherine O’Hara was listed among nominees for her role in The Studio, a project that has received five nominations.
What makes this notable is how closely personal losses and professional milestones have converged for the family in recent weeks, creating overlapping public obligations and private grief.
Reminder on crisis resources
Public information circulated with the news included crisis hotline numbers: in the United States, the three-digit Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is 988; in the United Kingdom and Ireland the Samaritans freephone number is 116 123; in Australia Lifeline can be reached at 13 11 14.
In addition to the family statement naming Katherine Hartley Short and seeking privacy, an unrelated note in the record mentioned that a group of Rob Reiner’s closest friends released a statement remembering him as a “passionate, brave citizen” who worked to make the world a better place.
