Martin Short was a loving husband to his late wife Nancy Dolman and their three children.
Short, 75, lost his wife to cancer in 2010. Some 16 years later, he mourned the death of his daughter, Catherine, who died by apparent suicide.
The “Murder in the Building” star also faced the unexpected death of a family member during his childhood. When he was 12 years old, his older brother David died in a car accident in Montreal, Canada.
Then he lost both of his parents over the course of two years. His mother, Olive Hayter, died of cancer in 1968 when he was only 17 years old. Two years later, her father, Charles Patrick Short, died of complications from a stroke.
In 2012 he told the Guardian: “I think the reason I didn’t fall no matter what was because I had a solid foundation.” “Situations like that are scary, but I think you’re either empowered by them or you’re a victim of them,” he said.
He also talked about late-night show host Stephen Colbert, who also suffered a violent family tragedy in his childhood.
“I remember talking to my friend, the satirist Stephen Colbert, a few days after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he was really, really pushing his material in front of George W. Bush, and Bush didn’t think it was funny at all,” he recalled to the outlet.
“I said, ‘Weren’t you scared?’ And he said, ‘When I was 12, my father and two brothers died together in a plane crash. I was scared that day,'” he continued. “And when he told me that story, I thought, ‘I get it from your story.'”
Read more about Short and his late wife and their children.
Nancy Dolman
Dolman and Short met in 1972 during a Toronto production of the musical “Godspell.” They married on December 22, 1980.
The Canadian comedian and actress ultimately quit showbiz to raise her three adopted children: Katherine, Olive, and Henry.
Dolman and Short were together for 36 years until her death on August 21, 2010, after a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 58 years old.
“Our marriage was a victory,” he told AARP magazine in 2019. “So it’s tough. She passed away in 2010, but I still keep in touch with her.”
“‘Hey Nan,’ right?” How will she react to this or that decision, especially regarding our three children? ”
She added: “I believe that when you die, you zoom in on the people who love you. The idea that death just ends and we don’t talk about them is wrong…For me, she’s still here.”
katherine elizabeth short
Katherine was born on December 3, 1983 and was the eldest child of Short and Dolman.
According to People magazine, Katherine graduated from New York University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender and sexuality studies and became a social worker.
She has accompanied her father to multiple red carpet appearances over the years, including the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in February 2011.
On February 23, 2026, she passed away in an apparent suicide. According to TMZ, she was found dead at her home in the Hollywood Hills, California, at around 6pm local time, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
She was 42 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” Short’s rep confirmed to Page Six at the time.
“The Short family is devastated by this loss and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was loved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought to the world.”
Oliver Patrick Short
Oliver was born on April 29, 1986 and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2008 with a degree in film and television production.
Before building a career in sports broadcasting, Oliver worked as an executive assistant at Warner Bros., according to his LinkedIn profile. He has worked at Fox Sports, MLB Network, NBC Sports Group, and NFL Television Network.
Oliver has also attended public events with his father over the years, including attending the Night Of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit in New York in August 2009 with Katherine.
henry hater short
Henry was born on August 4, 1989 and graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2012 with a degree in Finance.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has held positions as a consultant and analyst at Royal Canada Bank and currently works as a veterinary assistant at Malibu Coast Animal Hospital.
Henry seems to be the most public of the siblings, appearing on many red carpets with his parents.
His most recent appearance was at the Take Off A: All-Star Benefit in July 2017, where he walked the red carpet with his father.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
