Martin Short took the stage without the humor that made him famous.
It was October 14, at a charity gala organized by Selena Gomez in Los Angeles, and the actor was there to present an award named after his daughter: the Katherine Short Legacy Award. Katherine, his eldest daughter, died in February 2026, at the age of 42.
In his speech, Martin recalled that she had faced serious mental health challenges for years and made a request that was both simple and difficult: to stop treating these illnesses as something to hide out of shame. He quoted Dolly Parton with a line that landed like a gentle blow: “Grief is love with nowhere to go”. And he confessed that this pain would never go away, because what we love deeply eventually becomes part of us.
Katherine was a clinical social worker and spent her career supporting those who needed help. Today, the award that bears her name recognizes people committed to their communities and to mental health. Her family can no longer embrace her, but they continue to offer their care to others.