Martin Short details his life, which was struck by tragedy, in the upcoming Netflix documentary “Marty, Life Is Short.”
In the trailer for the documentary, which will be released on May 12, the Bill Murder star jokes that his brother Michael “had funeral parlors on speed dial.”
“I couldn’t stop laughing back then. … That’s what’s important,” he added. “Sometimes in life you get a green light. And sometimes you get a red light for no reason.”
Mr. Short has suffered significant losses over the years. Most recently, he lost his daughter Katherine Hartley Short in February. Catherine died by suicide. She was 42 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a representative for the star confirmed to Page Six on February 24.
“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.”
The social worker was found dead in her home in the Hollywood Hills, California, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The trailer also includes adorable old footage of Martin dancing with Katherine and her two brothers as a young child.
Comedian Andrea Martin says of the actor, “Fatherhood is as real as his breathing.”
Martin is the youngest of five children. His eldest brother died in a car accident when the comedian was just 12 years old.
In a 2012 interview with the Guardian, Martin recalled: “I grew up surrounded by tremendous humor at home. We laughed a lot.”
He also explained how his brother’s death helped shape his views on comedy.
“I think the reason everything kept me from falling was because I had a solid foundation. Those situations are scary, but I think you’re either empowered by them or you’re a victim of them.”
Martin’s mother, Olive Hayter, died of cancer when Martin was only 17 years old. His father, Charles Patrick Short, died of a stroke just two years later.
The “Father of the Bride” star married his longtime wife Nancy Dolman.
Dolman passed away in 2010 at the age of 58 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
In 2012, Martin reflected on the profound loss of himself and his three adopted children (Catherine, Oliver and Henry) and remembered Dolman as “the right person” for him.
“We’ve been together for 36 years and if we hadn’t found the right person we would have been divorced five times,” Martin told the Guardian.
In another emotional moment in the trailer, Short’s best friend Catherine O’Hara appears posthumously.
A previously recorded interview with O’Hara, conducted before her death in January, appears alongside previously unseen footage of the beloved actress.
O’Hara, who first met Martin in the Toronto improv scene in the early 1970s, reflected on his longtime friend and said, “I feel like he could improvise forever. Why couldn’t he?”
Another scene features archival footage of Martin and O’Hara dancing together at home. Another clip shows O’Hara playfully grabbing her face and yelling, “I loved you on Home Alone!” you were amazing! she laughed.
