Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, changed her name nearly 13 years before her death.
Katherine filed to change her name to “Katherine Elizabeth Hartley” in October 2012, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
“My father is a public figure. I am a psychiatric social worker,” Katherine explained of her reasoning in court documents. “I am concerned about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father.”
Katherine, who graduated from New York University in 2006 and received her master’s degree from the University of Southern California in 2010, was a licensed clinical social worker in Los Angeles. She also worked part-time at the Amae Health clinic.
TMZ reported that Katherine’s motion was granted in 2013, almost 13 years before her death. Us confirmed on Tuesday, February 24, that Katherine had died at age 42.
“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,” Martin’s rep said in a statement. “Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Katherine’s death was later ruled a suicide.
Martin, 75, shared Katherine with his late wife, Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010 after battling ovarian cancer. The comedian and Dolman also shared sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36.
Following Dolman’s death, Martin admitted it had “been a tough two years” for his family.
“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,” Martin told The Guardian in a 2012 interview. “There’s no big surprise.”
Two years later, Martin revealed how he and his three children mourned Dolman.
“[Nancy] had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral, and I don’t want a memorial. Throw a party, or not,’” Martin said on The Meredith Vieira Show in 2014. “She just was so irritated that she was losing this battle, she didn’t want to think about it. 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.”
The Saturday Night Live alum was married to Dolman for 30 years.
“Our marriage was a triumph,” Martin told AARP magazine in 2019. “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. I believe that when people die, they zoom into the people that love them. This idea that it just ends, and don’t speak of them — that’s wrong. That’s based on denial that we’re all going to die.”
Even years after Dolman’s death, Martin still frequently feels her presence.
“To me, she’s still here. At the same time, her death emboldened me to take risks,” he told the outlet. “With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It’s the yin to the yang: the positive part of life’s dark side.”
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