Hollywood mourns the suicide of Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine, at age 42 on Monday. Details reveal her long battle with depression and a childhood connection to Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner, charged with murdering his parents in December.
Deep-Rooted Family Friendships
Martin Short, 75, and Rob Reiner share a decades-long bond within an elite Hollywood circle that includes Billy Crystal, Steven Spielberg, Larry David, Eugene Levy, and Conan O’Brien. The families resided nearby in Los Angeles—Shorts in Pacific Palisades since 1984, Reiners in Brentwood.
The children frequently played together on weekends. Katherine and Nick, despite a 10-year age gap and attending different high schools—Nick at Wildwood, Katherine at Marymount—formed a close friendship. They bonded over challenges of growing up as children of celebrities, striving for personal identities amid fame’s shadow.
A source close to the families states: “Hollywood kids often struggle—it’s common. They wanted their own paths, not just to be known as someone’s child.”
Name Change and Career Choices
In 2012, Katherine legally changed her name to Katherine Hartley. Court documents cite her role as a psychiatric social worker and concerns over harassment from patients due to her father’s public profile: “My father is a public figure. I am a psychiatric social worker. I am concerned about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father.”
She attended New York University on the East Coast before returning to Los Angeles, settling in Hollywood Hills—about 30 minutes from the family home. Her brothers, Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36, remained in Pacific Palisades.
Mental Health Struggles
Both Katherine and Nick faced significant mental health issues. Katherine, a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and charity volunteer, entered inpatient facilities multiple times during the 2010s.
Rande Levine, founder of Karma Rescue where Katherine served on the board, recalls: “She’d say, ‘I won’t be around, I’m going away.’ She’d go check into some place to boost her up again.”
Nick battled severe drug addiction, attending rehab at least 18 times. A source notes: “Martin and Rob were dedicated parents. The kids couldn’t blame them—there’s no easy explanation when struggles persist.”
Recent Events and Impact
Katherine and Nick drifted apart in recent years; she lived in Hollywood Hills, while he stayed in his parents’ guest house. The December discovery of Rob and Michele Reiner stabbed to death in bed devastated their circle. Nick faces two counts of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Katherine felt profound distress over the murders. A source says: “It was depressing, dark, and twisted. She felt repulsed by Nick—it weighed heavily on her mental health.”
The tragedy compounded with the January 30 death of Catherine O’Hara at 71, a family friend and co-star with Eugene Levy. O’Hara attended Katherine’s 40th birthday in 2023.
Support for Martin Short
Eugene Levy, Steven Spielberg, and Kurt Russell rallied around Martin Short on Tuesday evening amid the grief.
