Martin Short connects late wife’s last words to daughter’s suicide: ‘I am trying to head toward the light’

Key Points

• Martin Short reflects on the tragic parallels between the death of his wife, Nancy Dolman, and daughter, Katherine Short.

• “I don’t see any difference between mental illness as a disease and cancer as a disease,” Short told The New York Times in an interview published Friday.

• Dolman died of ovarian cancer in 2010, while Katherine died of suicide in February.

Martin Short is reflecting on the connection between the loss of both of his loved ones, his wife Nancy Dolman and their daughter, Katherine.

Short opened up about his grieving journey in an interview with The New York Times published Friday, in which he revealed a heartbreaking connection between his wife’s death in 2010 and his daughter’s death in February. Recalling the last moments with his wife — who died after battling ovarian cancer — the Only Murders in the Building star shared that her final words, spoken in her bedroom as paramedics rushed in, were “Martin, let me go.”

“Katherine was saying: Dad, let me go,” Short told the outlet, adding, “I don’t see any difference between mental illness as a disease and cancer as a disease. In some cases, both are terminal. And in some cases, both are survivable.”

However, the actor clarified that the tragedy of Katherine’s death by suicide is different. “This is your child,” he said. “I am trying to head toward the light.”

Short and Dolman met in 1972 and later married in 1980, before adopting three children together: Katherine, born 1983; Oliver, born 1986; and Henry, born 1989. Katherine graduated from New York University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender sexuality studies. She later earned a master’s in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010, working with the pro bono law firm Public Counsel during the first year of her program and later training at the West L.A. Veterans Administration.

His daughter’s death has been the latest tragic loss for the actor, who has also lost his friends and collaborators Diane Keaton, Rob Reiner, and Catherine O’Hara, all within the span of a few months.

The late stars feature as prominent figures in Short’s recently released documentary, Marty, Life Is Short, which the comedian said functions as a love letter to his late wife.

As such, Dolman is a huge focus of the documentary; so much so that the comedian told its director, Lawrence Kasdan, “I had no idea you were in love with my wife.” However, Katherine’s death doesn’t come up until the end of the film, in a dedication to her and O’Hara.

In Short’s first sit-down interview since his daughter’s death with CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Tracy Smith on Sunday, the actor admitted that Katherine’s loss “has been a nightmare for the family.”

“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,” Short said at the time. “So Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Mart, let me go.’ And she was just saying, “Dad, let me go.'”

“If I wasn’t going to talk about this, then I would have pushed the documentary, because it is — listen, it’s called Marty, Life Is Short,” the actor continued. “And suddenly, last October, I lost Diane Keaton on the same day I lost my sister-in-law, Nancy’s sister, to cancer. Then Rob and Michelle [Reiner, his wife] have been my lifelong friends for 40 years … And then Catherine O’Hara and then my daughter. I mean, it’s been in four months. Staggering.”

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The comedian, who said he’s “never been in therapy,” shared how he has tried to process his grief. “What I do is, I dictate into my phone and then I transcribe it, and I look at it and rewrite it and put it away,” he said. “You find if you’re repeating your same things, maybe you’re moving on a little bit.”

Short then concluded the interview by offering some insight to those watching.

“I think we all are in denial about our limited time on this earth,” he said. “It’s very difficult to accept it… But the more you accept it, I think it does lift you and make you feel that this is a complicated little journey, life. And the more we approach it with wisdom, probably the happier we’ll be.”

Marty, Life Is Short is now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

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