Martin Short’s concern for his daughter Katherine was so intense that he reached out to a friend to check on her well-being before she was tragically discovered deceased in her Los Angeles residence.
The star of “Only Murders in the Building,” who is 76, became increasingly alarmed after not hearing from Katherine for more than a day, as detailed in the recent release of her autopsy report obtained by the Daily Mail.
Katherine, who was 42, passed away in February due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to the autopsy, the friend arrived at Katherine’s home and discovered a note posted on her locked bedroom door.
Acting swiftly, the friend called 911, leading the police to break into the bedroom.
Once inside, officers found Katherine lying in bed with a Glock 19 9mm pistol positioned beneath her chest.
Martin Short, 76, was so concerned about his daughter Katherine that he called a friend to check on her before she was found dead in her Los Angeles home; The actor pictured May 6
Katherine died in February at age 42 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound; Short seen with his daughter in 2011
A suicide note was recovered at the scene.
The autopsy also noted that Katherine had a prior suicide attempt in 2017 involving pills as well as a documented history of depression and other mental illnesses.
Katherine was eldest child of Short and Nancy Dolman.
Earlier this month Short opened up about his daughter’s suicide, saying her loss has ‘been a nightmare’ for all who loved her.
Short compared her battle with mental health to the cancer his wife, Nancy, faced. She died from the disease in 2010.
‘The understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal,’ said the actor.
He also told CBS Sunday Mornings: ‘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.’
The Only Murders in the Building star grew deeply worried after not hearing from Katherine for over 24 hours, according to her newly released autopsy report; They are seen in 2006
After finding a note on Katherine’s locked bedroom door, the friend called 911, prompting police to force entry and discover Katherine’s body; Short and his daughter seen in 2008
The autopsy also noted that Katherine had a prior suicide attempt in 2017 involving pills as well as a documented history of depression and other mental illnesses; Short and Katherine seen with Gavin B. Keilly and Tara-Jane Flynn in 2021
Earlier this month Short opened up about his daughter’s suicide, saying her loss has ‘been a nightmare’ for all who loved her in an interview on CBS Sunday Mornings
Short said his aim was to support a mental health awareness organization founded by Glenn Close called Bringchange2mind.
He said the non-profit aims to take ‘mental health out of the shadows’.
Short shared a moving message that touched on how he hopes struggles with mental health can be understood.
‘Not being ashamed of it, not hiding from the word suicide, but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness – and that’s my approach to this,’ he said.
Katherine was one of three children whom Short and his wife adopted.
His daughter was a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
Her loss ‘devastated’ the actor and her brothers Oliver Patrick, 39, and Henry Hayter, 36.
But his experience with bereavement gave Short a poignant perspective on his daughter’s decision to end her life.
Katherine was one of three children adopted by Short and his late wife Nancy Dolman during their 30-year marriage. She’s pictured right with her parents and brother Oliver Patrick in 1989
When Nancy was dying from ovarian cancer in 2010 at the age of 58, her last words to him, he said, were ‘Marty, let me go’.
He told CBS Sunday Mornings that in his mind, his daughter Katherine was just in her own way saying: ‘Dad, let me go.’
His daughter’s passing came just weeks after the death of his friend and collaborator of five decades Catherine O’Hara, and two months after the murders of his close friends Rob and Michele Reiner.
O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism at 71 on January 30, with rectal cancer identified as the underlying long-term cause.
