In a May 10 interview with CBS, the 76-year-old Only Murders in the Building star reflected on grief, loss, and the painful reality that tragedy has followed him through much of his life.
The candid conversation came just before the release of Marty, Life is Short, a deeply personal Netflix documentary that takes viewers behind the scenes of the Canadian comedian’s decades-long career through home videos, private moments, and never-before-seen archive footage.
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, the film carries special meaning for Short. Along with honoring Katherine’s memory, the documentary is also dedicated to actor Catherine O’Hara, one of his closest friends, who died just weeks before his daughter.
Lifelong grief
Even long before Katherine’s death, loss had already shaped Short in profound ways. By the time he was 20 years old, he had already lost both of his parents, along with his older brother David, who died in a car crash.
Looking back, Short explained that those early tragedies forced him to develop emotional resilience at a young age.
“What it developed in me is this muscle of survival and handling grief and a perspective on it, and it stayed with me,” he told CBS.
That perspective, he said, stayed with him as more heartbreak followed later in life. In 2010, Short lost his wife Nancy Dolman to ovarian cancer after nearly 30 years of marriage.
According to People, the couple had adopted three children together: Oliver, 40; Henry, 36; and Katherine, 42.
Evolving grief
Through the years, Short explained that his understanding of grief has evolved, shaped by decades of personal tragedy and the difficult acceptance that life eventually ends for everyone.
“I had an understanding from my childhood that the end of life was going to happen to all of us,” Short told CBS.
While acknowledging that some losses come far too soon, he also reflected on the comfort he finds in keeping loved ones emotionally close even after they are gone.
“They’ve just gone into the next room for a while, (and eventually) you’ll be in that room,” he shared.
‘Dad, let me go’
But it was when Short spoke about Katherine that the interview became especially emotional.
“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” the Father of the Bride star said, revealing that his daughter had spent years battling borderline personality disorder along with other serious mental health struggles before her death on Feb. 23, 2026.
“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.
“So, Nan’s last words to me were, ‘Martin, let me go.’ And what she was just saying [was], ‘Dad, let me go.’”
‘Taking mental health out of the shadows’
The tragedy has since inspired Short to become involved with “Bring Change to Mind,” a nonprofit organization co-founded by actor Glenn Close that focuses on reducing stigma surrounding mental illness.
Short said he felt a “deep desire” to support the group and help encourage more open conversations around mental health and suicide.
“It’s taking mental health out of the shadows, not being ashamed of it, not hiding from the word suicide, but accepting that this can be the last stage of an illness,” he explained.
Despite carrying decades of grief, Short also revealed that he has never relied on therapy, instead turning to his own personal coping methods to process pain privately.
“You just have to breathe in, breathe out,” he said.
“What I do is I dictate into my phone and I transcribe it. And I look at it and rewrite it and put it away.”
‘Limited time’ on Earth
As the interview came to a close, Short reflected on mortality and the difficult reality every family eventually faces.
“I think we are all in denial about our limited time on this Earth. It’s very difficult to accept it,” he said.
“The more you accept it, I think it does lift you and make you feel that this is a complicated little journey, life. And the more we approach it with wisdom, probably the happier we’ll be.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the U.S. and Canada, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support 24/7.
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