Martin Short turned to his friends and family on Wednesday as he coped with the shocking death of his oldest daughter.
Katherine Hartley Short was found dead by suicide at her home in the Hollywood Hills on Monday evening, the LAPD confirmed.
In photos taken by the Daily Mail, Martin Short was seen outside his home as he greeted friends and family who came to comfort him in the wake of the tragedy.
They followed other famous friends of the 75-year-old Only Murders In the Building star who had dropped by the previous evening, including Steven Spielberg, Kurt Russell and Eugene Levy.
Among those supporting Short on Wednesday was his friend Paul Schaffer, the former bandleader for The Late Show with David Letterman.
Short also leaned on family at his home, including his youngest son, Henry Hayter Short, 36.
Short and his late wife Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010 at 58 after battling ovarian cancer, shared three children: the late Katherine, Henry and 39-year-old Oliver Patrick Short.
Short and Dolman adopted all three of their children.
Short was dressed casually as he greeted his loved ones outside his home, and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses to block out the piercing light.
Schaffer was spotted outside Short’s home as he buzzed in on the intercom.
The pianist and bandleader brought along what looked like a bottle of wine as an offering.
He shared a hug with Short, who displayed a soft smile.
Schaffer is best known as David Letterman’s former band leader, but he rose to prominence as a member of the Saturday Night Live band in the 1970s, years before Short’s sole season on the show from 1984 to 1985.
Schaffer also had the distinction of being the first – and so far only – band member who joined the iconic sketch comedy show’s cast after becoming a featured player in the 1979-1980 season.
Schaffer wasn’t the only person to bring food and drinks for the gathering, as Short’s son Henry arrived with a takeout bag from the celebrity favorite Joan’s On Third.
Henry was joined by his wife Haylen, who relaxed with him on the house’s porch.
He was also pictured sharing a loving hug with his father after arriving.
Unlike his older brother Oliver — who has worked in the entertainment business at Warner Bros. and then in production roles in sports broadcasting — Henry has largely eschewed show business.
After graduating from Notre Dame — where his older brother also went — in 2012, Henry began working at the Royal Bank of Canada.
However, he later changed career paths to work as a veterinary assistant, according to People.
Although his father looked at ease on Wednesday, a source previously told the Daily Mail that Short was ‘inconsolable’ in the wake of his daughter Katherine’s suicide.
‘This is as much of a horror to Martin and his sons, her brothers, as humanly possible,’ said a source close to the family.
‘For someone who brings so much joy to so many, who is always trying to lift others up and make them laugh, this loss has completely shattered him,’ they continued. ‘He is gutted, and as you would expect, his closest friends are surrounding him with love and support.’
The Daily Mail previously confirmed that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has completed Katherine’s autopsy, and her body is ready to be released, the Daily Mail can confirm.
Insiders also told the Daily Mail that Short’s friends and Only Murders In The Building costars Meryl Streep and Steve Martin had also been comforting him in the wake of his family tragedy.
On Tuesday, representatives for Short confirmed his daughter Katherine’s death in a statement to the Daily Mail.
‘It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,’ the statement read. ‘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.’
Katherine was last seen out publicly with her dad while celebrating her 40th birthday, attended by Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Catherine O’Hara, Bo Welch and Joni Mitchell, at the Grand Master Recorders in Hollywood in 2023.
Katherine was a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
Short adopted Katherine and her brothers Oliver and Henry with his late wife Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
The couple had been married for 30 years at the time of her death.
Following Dolman’s passing, Short’s longtime comedy partner Steve Martin paid tribute to her with a musical elegy titled The Great Remember (For Nancy), which appeared on one of his albums.
Speaking in 2019 about Nancy, Short described his marriage to the actress as a ‘triumph’.
He admitted he still ‘talks’ to his late wife all the time and still feels her presence around him.
In an interview with AARP magazine, he said: ‘With real tragedy, you become a little more daring. It’s the yin to the yang: the positive part of life’s dark side.’
Short also previously told CBC his attitude to grief is: ‘We go on.’
In his memoir, released in 2014, he described Nancy’s death as ‘by far the most awful thing I’ve been through’.
And as he supported his children through the grief of losing their mother, Short drew from his own experiences.
Speaking to his youngest son Henry the night before Nancy died, he told him: ‘This will make you stronger. This will make you more determined.’
As Short and his children continue 14 years following his spouse’s passing, the actor has previously revealed the George Eliot quote that he holds dear when thinking about her.
‘Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter in an August 2024 interview.
He added, ‘We were together for 36 years. I didn’t want to forget Nancy.’
Short, who is originally from Hamilton, Canada, was orphaned at the young age of 20 and has suffered further loss in his adult life, too.
Despite experiencing more grief than many have in a lifetime by adolescence, Short has recently insisted he isn’t ‘screwed up’ by the tragedy that beset his earlier years; instead, he argued that it made him stronger.