Martin Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short made a deliberate choice to distance herself from her father’s fame, years before she took her own life in her California home.
The 42-year-old daughter, who was adopted by the veteran comedian and his late wife of 30 years Nancy Dolman, apparently showed “no indication of struggle” before her tragic passing.
But people close to her claimed she was open about her mental health battles and did not want to be associated with her Hollywood-royalty father’s fame.
Martin Short’s daughter Katherine Hartley Short made a deliberate choice to distance herself from her father’s fame
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Trigger warning: This article may contain graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Katherine Hartley Short was found unresponsive in her Hollywood Hills home after a 911 caller said they were unable to enter a bedroom on her property.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded and found Katherine deceased on Monday, February 23, at around 6:43 p.m.
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It is believed the 42-year-old lost her life by pulling the trigger on herself.
The deceased daughter was a licensed clinical social worker in Los Angeles and reportedly worked part-time at a health clinic.
She was dedicated to helping patients with mental health issues and reportedly also opened a private practice.
It is believed the 42-year-old lost her life by pulling the trigger on herself
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Katherine consciously stepped away from her father’s fame and filed to change her name from “Katherine Elizabeth Short” to “Katherine Elizabeth Hartley” in 2012.
“My father is a public figure. I am a psychiatric social worker,” she was quoted as saying in official documents. “I am worried about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father.”
The name-change request was granted by a judge in early 2013.
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Katherine had a since-deleted professional website, on which she spoke about her service dog Joni, named after singer Joni Mitchell.
“Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years,” she wrote.
A friend of Katherine said she would mention she had mental health struggles but wouldn’t discuss them further.
They told TMZ that she would be deeply invested in hearing about her clients’ problems, and the emotional weight of her work often stayed with her.
“I am worried about potential harassment,” the deceased daughter said in her petition to change her name
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The Short family, which included Martin’s adopted sons Oliver Patrick, 39, and Henry Hayter, 36, had to mourn the loss of the comedian’s wife Nancy Dolman, who passed away due to ovarian cancer in 2010.
Katherine’s close friend Rande Levine said that there were phases during the 2010s when she stepped away from her responsibilities to seek inpatient treatment.
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While the world knew Katherine as someone upbeat and stable, Rande said the people close to her knew her real struggles.
“I knew she was battling with this. She would talk about it. But you would never know based on how she presented herself, and how funny she was,” the friend said.
“She’d say, I won’t be around, I’m going away. She’d go check into some place to boost her up again,” Rande added.
While the world knew Katherine as someone upbeat and stable, Rande said the people close to her knew her real struggles
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Neighbors claimed Katherine was private but was still friendly to others.
One described her as a great neighbor and gardener, who was respectful to fellow residents and wasn’t loud.
“She was very nice, but this is a quiet neighborhood, and to be fair, we don’t see too many neighbors usually out,” one said.
Another told the Daily Mail, “She must have been in so much anguish to have done this. It’s just so sad.”
“She’d say, I won’t be around, I’m going away,” Katherine’s friend said
Following her passing, a statement was released on Martin’s behalf.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short. The Short family is devastated by this loss and asks for privacy at this time,” the statement said. “Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Martin postponed some of his comedy shows with Steve Martin from their tour, titled The Best of Steve Martin & Martin Short.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or s**c*dal ideation, help is available: International Hotlines
“They must all feel blindsided,” a social media user said, while another wrote, “I can see how she had a heavy burden”
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