rewrite this title Martin Short Reflects On Daughter Katherine’s Death

Less than three months after his daughter’s death by suicide, Martin Short is opening up about the toll on his family and the importance of mental health.

On Sunday, the 2x Emmy-winning comedian explained that his late daughter Katherine Hartley Short “did the best she could until she couldn’t,” noting that mental illness is just as much a disease as cancer.

“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” he said on CBS Sunday Morning. “But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal. And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she could until she couldn’t.”

Short continued, “So, Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And what [Katherine] was just saying [was], ‘Dad, let me go.’”

After Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call in February in a Hollywood Hills Home, which LAPD confirmed was about a possible suicide, Katherine’s family announced her death.

“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” Katherine’s family previously shared in a statement to People. “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.”

Short and late wife Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010 after suffering from ovarian cancer, adopted three children, Katherine, Oliver and Henry.

If you or someone you know is struggling with difficult life circumstances or uncomfortable thoughts and emotions call or text 988 to reach the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.