Martin Short Opens Up About Grief After Family Losses: ‘Had the Funeral Parlor on Speed Dial’

Martin Short’s life has been marred by tragic losses of friends and family, and the Only Murders in the Building star opens up about how he’s dealt with grief throughout his life in the upcoming documentary, Marty, Life is Short.

Short, 76, lost his older brother, David, in a car accident when he was just 12 years old. At 17, his mom died of cancer, followed by his father dying from a stroke three years after that.

The deaths were so close together, the legendary comedian jokes that he had the funeral parlor “on speed dial.” However, he adds, “there were laughs during those years,” too.

“In life, sometimes you hit a green light. And sometimes, for no reason, it’s red,” Short says in the documentary, which is set to premiere on Netflix on May 12. “Mom died, and Dad’s health went fast. And I just was overwhelmed with, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”

When Short was working on the musical, Godspell, in 1972, he met Nancy Dolman. The two went on to marry eight years later, and over the next few years, they adopted three children – Katherine in 1983, Oliver in 1986 and Henry in 1989.

Unfortunately, after 30 years together, Nancy died at 58 years old due to ovarian cancer in 2010.

In the past year, the Father of the Bride star has suffered even more loss with the death of Katherine, as well as his good friend, Catherine O’Hara, who appears in the documentary.

O’Hara died at 71 earlier this year in January. She had been suffering from rectal cancer but her official cause of death was listed as a pulmonary embolism.

Short lost Katherine to suicide the following month on February 23 at just 42 years old.

A source previously told In Touch that the Three Amigos actor was “devastated” after the death of his daughter, and he was “pushing everyone away,” including his rumored girlfriend Meryl Streep.

“There’s a sense Martin feels like he’s failed Nancy,” the source explained at the time. “He took on the responsibility to raise and care for their little girl and now she’s gone. He’s really beating himself up over her suicide and wondering what he could have done to have saved Katherine.”