Selena Gomez Helps ‘Only Murders’ Costar Martin Short Honor His Late Daughter

Martin Holmes October 16, 2026, 9:29 am

Martin Short and Selena Gomez — Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Rare Beauty; Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Rare Beauty

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Selena Gomez introduced The Katherine Short Legacy Award at the Rare Impact Fund Gala.
The award honors Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine, who died by suicide at 42 years old earlier this year.
Martin spoke about his family’s grief and emphasized the importance of recognizing mental health as a disease.

A tearful Selena Gomez helped honor the memory of Martin Short‘s late daughter, Katherine Short, at the fourth annual Rare Impact Fund Gala in Los Angeles on Wednesday (October 14).

According to People, Gomez introduced The Katherine Short Legacy Award, “in memory of Katherine Short, Martin Short’s daughter, who passed away by suicide earlier this year.” Gomez said the award will honor those who show the same kind of commitment to their communities that Katherine did as a social worker.

“Marty has been my friend for many years, and I know how deeply he loves his family,” Gomez said of her Only Murders in the Building costar. “I’m very grateful that he’s here tonight to help us present it for the first time.”

Martin took to the stage and said Gomez “is one of the most brilliant women in the world” and that he’s “learned so much” from working with her. He went on to describe his “very difficult year,” describing his daughter’s death as “the heartbreak of our family.”

However, the 76-year-old comedian said the last eight months have helped his family understand “that mental health and cancer, which took my wife, for example, are both diseases.” Martin’s wife, Nancy Dolman, with whom he shared three children (Katherine, Oliver, and Henry), died in 2010 after a battle with ovarian cancer.

“Katherine fought for so long with extreme mental health issues — borderline personality [disorder], other things — and she did the best she could until she couldn’t,” he continued. “And that’s why it’s so important what Selena’s doing tonight, raising these kinds of funds and awareness to help people understand that mental health is simply an illness, not to be hidden in the shadows or perceived as a family embarrassment.”

Martin Short Opens Up About Daughter Katherine's Death: 'It's Been A Nightmare'

Martin said that his daughter’s death “will be devastating to my soul as long as I’ll live,” and quoted the late Dolly Parton, who once said, “‘Grief is love with no place to go.'”

“My pain about losing my daughter will always be present in my heart, and I think that’s simply because what we deeply love we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us,” he stated.

The actor concluded by praising Katherine’s work as a clinical social worker, saying she devoted herself to “promoting open, compassionate conversations about mental health, and her commitment extended beyond her profession and well into the community.”

He added, “So what an honor it is for me to be [here] helping present this award, which honors those creating lasting impact through their commitment to mental health and well-being.”