Martin Short has given his first on-camera interview since the recent death of his 42-year-old daughter, Katherine Hartley Short.
Katherine Short, the eldest of three children adopted by the actor/comedian and his late wife, Nancy Dolman, died by suicide in February, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office previously confirmed.
“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” said Martin Short in an interview with “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
“But the understanding that mental health and cancer, like my wife [had], are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases, they are terminal.”
Short added that his daughter, a licensed social worker in Los Angeles, “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 revealed the similarity in the last words of his wife, who battled ovarian cancer before her 2010 death, and his daughter: “Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Mart, let me go.’ And [Katherine] was just saying, ‘Dad, let me go.’”
Short signaled that he holds a “deep desire” to help take “mental health out of the shadows,” noting that he’s gotten involved in the Glenn Close-founded nonprofit Bring Change to Mind. His daughter had worked with the nonprofit.
“Not being ashamed of [mental health], not hiding from the word suicide but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” the actor explained.
“That’s my approach to this.”
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Short is on the media circuit to promote his upcoming Netflix documentary film, “Martin, Life is Short.”
Short’s early years, which are covered in the film, were marked by the deaths of his brother, his mother and his father before his 20th birthday.
Short, in his interview on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” reflected on the “staggering” past several months that have also seen the deaths of his sister-in-law, as well as Diane Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Rob and Michele Reiner.
“Staggering, staggering,” he said.
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He revealed on NPR’s “Morning Edition” that the film’s director, Lawrence Kasdan, suggested pushing back the release date in the wake of his daughter’s death.
“My instinct was the opposite,” he told host A Martínez.
“Because it’s about love, loss and survival. … I think we proceed. We must figure a way to survive through grief without denying it or without in any way undermining its importance.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
