Martin Short is opening up about one of the most painful periods of his life with devastating honesty.
Years after losing his wife, Nancy Dolman, the beloved comedian is now grieving another unimaginable tragedy following the death of his daughter, Katherine.
While reflecting on both losses, Short revealed the emotional connection between their final words and why he believes mental illness deserves to be treated like any other disease.
The “Only Murders in the Building” star recently spoke to The New York Times while discussing his Netflix documentary “Marty, Life Is Short.”
During the emotional conversation, Short looked back on the final days of his wife, Nancy Dolman, who died from ovarian cancer in 2010 at age 58.
As he reflected on losing Dolman after nearly 30 years of marriage, Short revealed the heartbreaking final message she shared with him.
“Martin, let me go,” Short recalled her saying.
The actor explained that hearing similar emotions years later, after the death of his daughter, Katherine, forced him to think about grief and illness in a completely different way.
Short and Dolman first met in 1972 before marrying in 1980. Together, they raised three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry.
Over the years, Short frequently described Dolman as the emotional center of their family, making her loss especially difficult for him and their children.
Martin Short Drew Painful Connection To Daughter Katherine
While speaking with The New York Times, Short revealed that the death of his daughter Katherine earlier this year reopened emotions he had carried since losing his wife.
Katherine died by suicide in February at age 42, according to the Los Angeles coroner’s office.
As Short reflected on her death, he explained that he heard echoes of Dolman’s final plea in what he imagined his daughter may have been trying to express during her own struggle.
“Katherine was saying: Dad, let me go,” he said.
Short then shared his belief that mental illness deserves to be viewed with the same seriousness as physical diseases.
“I don’t see any difference between mental illness as a disease and cancer as a disease,” he explained. “In some cases, both are terminal. And in some cases, both are survivable.”
The actor admitted that losing a child brought a different level of pain than anything he had experienced before.
“This is your child,” Short said. “I am trying to head toward the light.”
Short Speaks Openly About Mental Health
Martin Short also addressed the tragedy during a May 10 appearance on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” where he described Katherine’s death as “a nightmare for the family.”
During the interview, the actor spoke candidly about his daughter’s years-long mental health battle and the challenges she faced privately.
“But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife [had], are both diseases,” Short explained. “Sometimes with diseases, they are terminal. 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.”
He again reflected on the emotional connection between Dolman’s final words and his daughter’s death.
“So Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And what she was saying was, ‘Dad, let me go.’”
The comedian also explained why he became involved with Bring Change to Mind, an organization focused on mental health awareness and ending stigma surrounding mental illness.
“So I hold a deep desire. And that’s why I’m involved in this organization, Bring Change to Mind … taking mental health out of the shadows, not being ashamed of it, not hiding from the word ‘suicide,’ but accepting that this could be the last stage of an illness,” he said.
Katherine Dedicated Her Life To Helping Others
Although Katherine largely stayed out of the public spotlight, she devoted much of her career to helping people struggling with mental health challenges.
She worked as a licensed clinical social worker in private practice while also serving part-time at Amae Health. According to reports, her responsibilities included psychotherapy, peer support, family support groups, and community outreach.
Friends and loved ones remembered Katherine as deeply compassionate and committed to supporting others through difficult moments.
Following her death, the Short family released a statement describing her as someone who brought warmth and happiness to everyone around her.
They said Katherine was “beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Despite the pain surrounding the tragedy, Martin Short has continued speaking publicly in hopes that discussing grief and mental illness openly may help other families feel less isolated.
Martin Short Wants Families To Stop Suffering In Silence
Elsewhere during his “CBS News Sunday Morning” interview, Short explained why he felt it was important not to hide from conversations about suicide and mental illness.
“If I said to the audience, any audience I was in, ‘How many have lost anyone from suicide?’ you’d be stunned by the hands that would go [up],” he said. “‘How many have mental health in their family?’ You’d be stunned by the hands that would go up.”
The actor believes many families quietly carry similar pain but avoid speaking openly about it because of shame or fear.
“So why pretend that this is your own pain? Maybe by sharing your pain it will help other people’s pain,” Short added.
For Short, turning grief into conversation now appears to be part of the healing process as he continues trying to move forward after two devastating losses that forever changed his life.