Martin Short’s daughter Catherine reportedly showed no signs of suffering from mental health problems before she took her own life on Monday.
Katherine lived in the Hollywood Hills, California, and one neighbor said social workers “didn’t see her struggling.”
“Katherine was a private person, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t friendly. She was very outgoing,” a neighbor told Us Weekly.
A neighbor said he sometimes “heard and saw her laughing with her friends” on the front porch.
“She always said ‘hello,'” they said, noting that she loved talking about books, especially nonfiction literature.
Catherine clearly took pride in her home, decorating it in a “fun and quirky way,” as a neighbor observed.
“She proudly flew the Canadian flag all year long,” they said.
Catherine was mostly private, but attended several red carpet events with her parents, and had a service dog to help with her “mental illness” in the years before her death.
On her professional website, which has since been deleted, she shared a photo and bio of her service dog, Joni, whom she named after singer Joni Mitchell.
“Joni is my amazing service dog who has helped me battle my own mental illness for the past five years,” Katherine wrote.
Martin’s representatives confirmed the sad news of Catherine’s death on Tuesday. She was 42 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Catherine Hartley Short,” her representative said. “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 New York University graduate was reportedly found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home around 6pm local time on Monday.
“At 6:41 p.m., we responded to a report of shots fired at that address,” the Los Angeles Fire Department told Page Six, confirming that the 911 call was received.
“A woman has been reported dead.”
Shortly after news of her daughter’s death broke, Short postponed a comedy show she had scheduled with her “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Steve Martin.
The 75-year-old popular actor is no stranger to family tragedy.
He lost his older brother David in a car accident when he was 12 years old. He then mourned the death of his mother from cancer when he was 17 years old, and just two years later his father died from complications of a stroke.
The “Father of the Bride” star lost his late wife Nancy Dolman in August 2010 after losing a battle with ovarian cancer.
The couple adopted three children before Catherine died – Catherine and sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36.
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.
