Martin Short shares how he’s coped with the massive amount of loss he’s experienced in a new documentary about his life.
The comedian, 76, lost his daughter, Katherine Smart, 40, in February, less than a month after the death of his longtime friend and collaborator, Catherine O’Hara, at the age of 71. But Short’s experiences with grief started much earlier.
He reveals how he got through it all in the trailer for the upcoming Netflix documentary, Marty, Life is Short, as he discusses the deaths of his parents and younger brother, all of which occurred before he’d turned 20 years old.
“In life, sometimes you hit a green light. And sometimes, for no reason, it’s red,” Short says in the trailer. “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.”
Short was 12 when he lost his older brother, David, in a car accident. He was 17 when his mother died of cancer, and three years later, his father died from a stroke.
“We had speed dial to the funeral parlor,” Short says in the film’s trailer. “But there were laughs during those years,” he added. “That’s the point.”
It wasn’t the end of losing loved ones for Short, however. In 2010, the actor’s wife of 30 years, Nancy Dolman, with whom he shared three adopted children, died of cancer at the age of 58. Their daughter, Katherine, died by suicide.
In addition to his personal life, the film will explore Short’s early career and the anxieties he faced. “‘Oh! I’m in the greatest profession in the world. I’m so damn lucky,’” he recalls thinking in one clip, “‘How do I keep it going?’”
The documentary, out May 12, explores Short’s life through archival interviews and interviews with famous friends, including the late Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Steve Martin, and Tom Hanks. Short’s alter ego, Jiminy Glick, also weighs in. “Did you hear they were making a documentary about Martin Short?” Glick is asked in one clip.
“Yeah, well, they’re making a documentary on everyone,” Glick quips. “Literally, every human being that existed.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
