Martin Short says ‘pain’ of daughter’s death will ‘always be present’

Canadian actor Martin Short honoured his late daughter, Katherine, during Selena Gomez’s fourth annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

During the event, which raises funds for youth mental health, Gomez introduced a new award “in memory of Katherine Short, Martin Short’s daughter, who passed away by suicide earlier this year,” People reports.

Gomez introduced the Katherine Short Legacy Award and said that the honour “means a lot to me.

“Katherine was a social worker who devoted her own career to helping people through some of their hardest points,” Gomez said. “This award will carry her name forward by honouring people who have made that same kind of commitment to their communities.”

“Marty has been my friend for many years, and I know how deeply he loves his family. I’m very grateful that he’s here tonight to help us present it for the first time,” Gomez said.

Gomez welcomed Short to the stage to help present the new award and the 76-year-old actor spoke about his family’s grief following the passing of Katherine, who died in February.

“It has been a very difficult year for me, needless to say,” Short said. “It has been the heartbreak of our family, as you can imagine.”

“But we have also understood in the last eight months — I think my whole family has understood — that mental health and cancer, which took my wife, for example, are both diseases. They are diseases, and sometimes diseases are terminal,” he continued.

Katherine was the eldest of the three children Short adopted with his late wife Nancy Dolman, who died of ovarian cancer at age 58 in 2010. The actor also has two sons, Oliver Short, 40, and Henry Short, 37.

Short said that his daughter’s death “will be devastating to my soul as long as I’ll live.”

“Katherine fought for so long with extreme mental health issues, borderline personality [disorder], other things, and she did the best she could until she couldn’t,” the Father of the Bride actor said.

“And that’s why it’s so important what Selena’s doing tonight, raising these kinds of funds and awareness to help people understand that mental health is simply an illness, not to be hidden in the shadows or perceived as a family embarrassment,” Short added.

“The great Dolly Parton once said, ‘Grief is love with no place to go.’ My pain about losing my daughter will always be present in my heart, and I think that’s simply because what we deeply love we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us,” the Innerspace actor continued.

Short said that his daughter “devoted herself to her profession” as a clinical social worker and promoted “open, compassionate conversations about mental health.”

“Her commitment extended beyond her profession and well into the community. So what an honour it is for me to be [here] helping present this award, which honours those creating lasting impact through their commitment to mental health and well-being,” he concluded.

In February, a representative for Short announced that his daughter Katherine had died at the age of 42.

“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a representative for the actor said in a statement.

“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.”

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department told USA Today that personnel responded to a Hollywood Hills address associated with Katherine. They identified an “approximately 41-year-old female” who was dead.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed that Katherine’s manner of death was determined to be suicide.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. If you are in a crisis and need immediate mental health support, call 988.

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.