Conan O'Brien ends Oscars with Martin Short tribute after daughter's death
Conan O'Brien paid tribute to Martin Short with a heartfelt message at the very end of the 2026 Academy Awards.
Conan O'Brien ended the Oscars with a tribute to Martin Short after his daughter Katherine's death.
The 62-year-old comedian, who was hosting the Academy Awards for the second year in a row on Sunday night (15.03.26), has had the Only Murders In The Building actor on his programme and podcast several times over the years and he made sure to give his friend a shout-out at the end of the ceremony.
He concluded the ceremony by saying: "It's been an honour and a joy - we love you, Marty Short. Good night."
Martin's daughter Katherine was found dead on February 23 after taking her own life at the age of 42.
She is said to have been found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A representative for Martin confirmed her death in a statement to Page Six on Tuesday (24.02.26.)
They said: “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short.
“The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Martin and his longtime friend Steve Martin have postponed their comedy tour as a result of the tragedy, while the duo and Only Murders castmate Selena Gomez skipped the Actor Awards earlier this month.
A neighbour previously told Us Weekly that Katherine had not shown visible signs of distress before her passing.
They added: “Katherine was a private person but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t friendly. She was quite outgoing.”
The neighbour also said they would “hear and see her laughing with friends” on her front porch at times.
Katherine, a psychiatric social worker, had previously written about living with mental illness.
On her now-deleted professional website, she wrote: “Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years.”
She owned the service dog, named after the singer Joni Mitchell, in the years prior to her death.
In 2012, Katherine - who was adopted by Martin and his late wife Nancy Dolman along with sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36 - legally changed her surname from Short to Hartley.
In documents explaining the change, she wrote: “My father is a public figure and I am a psychiatric social worker.”
She added: “I am worried about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father.”
Katherine maintained a low public profile and was last seen publicly celebrating her 40th birthday in 2023.
