Katherine Short, the daughter of Canadian actor Martin Short, died Tuesday 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 on Tuesday that around 6:40 p.m. on Monday, 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.
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, 39, and Henry Short, 36.
Katherine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender sexuality studies from New York University in 2006 and earned a master’s in social work from the University of Southern California in 2010, according to her now-deleted professional website.
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She worked at the University of California, Los Angeles’s Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital for four years after receiving her master’s and went on to work at the Camden Center, a mental health clinic in Los Angeles, before starting her own private practice.
Following the news of his daughter’s death, Short postponed dates for his tour with longtime collaborator Steve Martin.
The duo’s Feb. 27 show at Milwaukee’s Miller High Life Theatre for the Best of Steve Martin & Martin Short tour and two shows at the Orpheum Theatre on Feb. 28 in Minneapolis have been postponed.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Steve Martin & Martin Short’s show, originally scheduled for Friday, February 27th in Milwaukee, has been postponed,” a note on the Milwaukee theatre’s website reads.
Both venues noted that tickets will be honoured for a future rescheduled date and they will be in contact with ticketholders with further news when it is available.
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