Martin Short’s Wife’s Tragic Death Resurfaces After His Daughter’s Suicide—His Kids ‘Lived in Denial’

Martin Short’s family is very tight-knit. The comedian has talked fondly about how close he is to his late wife and three kids and how they powered through hardships.

In an interview with AARP, Short revealed how he coped with being a single father after the death of his wife. “Our marriage was a triumph,” he said. “So it’s tough. She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey Nan,’ you know?” How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids.”

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Related: Martin Short’s Daughter Worked in Mental Health Before Her Death by Suicide—Her Father Is ‘Devastated’

Who was Martin Short’s wife, Nancy Dolman?

Martin Short met his wife, Nancy Dolman, when they met on a production of Godspell in Toronto. She was Short’s ex, Gilda Radner’s understudy.

Short talked about how he felt that he was “out of” Dolman’s league in an appearance on Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson & Woody Harrelson podcast. He then broke things off with Gilda Radner and pursued Nancy. “It was fast,” Short recalled. “One day. One day, I was single. That’s crazy.”

The two married on Dec. 22, 1980, and stayed together until her death. They adopted three children: Katherine, born in December 1983, Oliver, born in April 1986, and Henry, born in August 1989. She died on Aug. 24, 2010 after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Short shared about how his wife wanted to be honored after his death on The Meredith Vieira Show. “[Nancy] had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral and I don’t want a memorial. Throw a party, or not,’” the Only Murders in the Building star recalled. “She just was so irritated that she was losing this battle, she didn’t want to think about it. So I just followed her wishes. We went up, we had a party with about 30 close friends and family. She was cremated. The kids and I went into a boat, we sprinkled the ashes into the water, and we jumped into the ashes.”

While talking about his family in a piece for The Guardian, Short recalled how their bond was cemented for his entire life. “Before my wife Nancy died two years ago, we were together for 36 years, but I would have been divorced five times if I hadn’t found the right person,” he wrote. “I wouldn’t have faked it and played a game just because I didn’t want to be divorced. It’s been a tough two years for my children. This is the thing of life that we live in denial about, that it will ever happen to us or our loved ones, and when it does you gain a little and you suffer a little. There’s no big surprise.”

16 years after Dolman’s death, their daughter Katherine died at the age of 42. “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” reps for the family said in a statement. “The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”

Her autopsy confirmed she died by suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s website.

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