Martin Short breaks silence following tragic death of daughter

• Martin Short compared his daughter's mental health struggles to terminal physical illnesses.
• Katherine Hartley Short was a social worker who passed away aged forty-two.
• The Short family is mourning following a history of significant personal tragedies.
  

Actor Martin Short has spoken emotionally about the sudden death of his daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, describing the loss as a "nightmare" for his family.

In a moving interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the Only Murders in the Building star addressed the tragedy for the first time since Katherine’s passing on 23 February. The 42-year-old social worker was discovered at her Los Angeles home having died by suicide.

"But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal," the 76-year-old actor explained.

Short noted that his daughter had fought a lengthy battle with extreme mental health challenges, including borderline personality disorder.

"She did the best she could until she couldn’t," he added, drawing a poignant parallel to his late wife, Nancy Dolman, who died of cancer in 2010.

Katherine was a dedicated social worker who utilised a service dog to assist with her illness. Her family described her as a beloved individual who brought "light and joy" to those around her.

Short is no stranger to profound grief, having lost his elder brother in a car accident during his youth, followed shortly by the deaths of both his parents.

Despite these past hardships, he remains focused on the memory of Katherine and her two brothers, Oliver and Henry.

The family continues to request privacy as they navigate this devastating period, emphasizing that mental health struggles must be treated with the same gravity and compassion as any physical ailment.