Katherine Short's Death Ruled a Suicide

The cause of death for Martin Short's eldest child, Katherine, has been formally ruled a suicide. A Los Angeles County death certificate shows the 42-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at her Hollywood Hills home, where police and firefighters responded last week and found her behind a locked door, according to TMZ. A note was recovered at the scene, though its contents have not been made public. She has been cremated.

A friend said last week that Katherine, who worked in social services and changed her last name to Hartley in 2013 for professional privacy, seemed like her usual self before her death. "Katherine was a private person, but that doesn't mean she wasn't friendly," she said. "She was quite outgoing." Katherine had previously spoken about mental health challenges. Martin Short has canceled shows and withdrawn from public appearances. People reports that his Only Murders in the Building co-stars Selena Gomez and Steve Martin skipped Sunday's Actor Awards in solidarity with Short.

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