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Martin Short spoke publicly for the first time about the Spoken death of his daughter by suicide.
Speaking to “CBS Sunday Morning” to coincide with the release of the Netflix documentary “Marty: Life Is Short,” the comedian and actor opened up about how adversity affected him early on – he lost an older brother and both parents before he was 20.
“What that developed in me was this muscle of survival, dealing with grief and a certain perspective on it,” Short said.
Endless losses
The suffering continued into adult life: His wife Nancy Dolman died of cancer in 2010, his longtime friend and companion Catherine O’Hara died in January, and a few weeks later he lost his daughter Katherine to suicide in February.
Short spoke about Katherine’s death for the first time: “It was a nightmare for the family. But I understand it this way: mental illness and cancer – like my wife’s – are both illnesses, and illnesses can sometimes be fatal.”
He continued: “My daughter struggled for a long time with severe mental health issues – borderline personality disorder, other things – and did her best until she couldn’t anymore. Nancy’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And what Katherine wanted to say to me was the same thing: ‘Dad, let me go.'”
Keep going despite everything
Despite everything, Short remains steadfast: a new season of “Only Murders in the Building” is about to begin filming, and he plans to return to Broadway with his co-star and now girlfriend Meryl Streep. “We’re trying to put something together, we’re just not sure if the audience will buy into it,” Short joked to “CBS Sunday Morning.” “It’s a risk – you never know how Meryl will do at the box office. But let’s hope for the best.”
