Katherine Hartley Short, the daughter of Canadian actor and comedian Martin Short, changed her name more than a decade ago to protect her privacy and professional life as a mental health clinician, according to court documents cited in US reports published this week after her death at the age of 42.

Documents obtained by Page Six show she filed in 2012 to change her name from Katherine Elizabeth Short to Katherine Elizabeth Hartley, telling the court she wanted to separate herself from her father’s public profile and avoid problems in her work. “My father is a public figure. I am a psychiatric social worker,” she wrote in the filing. “I am worried about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father.”

The motion was granted in early 2013, Page Six reported, describing the decision as part of an effort to keep her life out of the spotlight while building a career in social work.

Her death was confirmed by her family through a statement provided to People. “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” the statement said. “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.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner lists a case for “KATHERINE HARTLEY” with a date of death of February 23, 2026, and place of death recorded as a residence. People reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at a Hollywood Hills home that day, and that the county coroner confirmed her death as a suicide.

In its account of the name-change documents, Page Six said Hartley Short had worked for years in mental health, largely away from public attention, and at one point operated a private practice. The publication described her as having dedicated her career to helping people experiencing mental health difficulties.

People reported that she worked as a licensed clinical social worker and contributed part-time to Amae Health, providing psychotherapy, groups and community outreach. The magazine said she earned an undergraduate degree from New York University and later completed a master’s degree in social work at the University of Southern California.

Those details, as well as her name-change petition, point to a consistent theme in how she presented herself professionally: a desire to be known primarily for her work rather than her family name. The court filing, cited in the Page Six report, explicitly framed the change as a measure to reduce the risk of being treated differently by patients or prospective clients because of her father’s fame.

The death has also prompted renewed attention on comments attributed to Hartley Short in material that was later removed from public view. Page Six said it reviewed a now-deleted professional website in which she discussed living with mental illness and described support she received from a service dog. “Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years,” she wrote, according to the report.

In the same reporting, her service dog was presented as a significant part of her day-to-day coping strategies, even as she maintained a private life and limited public appearances. Page Six said her last public outing was in October 2023, when she was photographed celebrating her 40th birthday in Los Angeles.

Martin Short, 75, has long been one of North America’s best-known comic actors, with a career spanning decades in television, film and stage work. He has more recently starred alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building,” in which he plays Broadway producer Oliver Putnam.

In the days after the family’s announcement, several outlets reported that Martin Short postponed scheduled appearances on a live tour with Steve Martin. People reported that the family’s statement was issued as the comedian faced an intensely personal loss largely in public view, despite years of keeping his children’s lives out of the media.

Hartley Short was one of three children adopted by Martin Short and his late wife, Nancy Dolman. Dolman died in 2010 after cancer, and Martin Short has spoken in past interviews and writing about navigating grief while raising their family.

The family’s statement did not include details about funeral arrangements or memorial plans, and asked for privacy.

In recent years, conversations about celebrity families have increasingly focused on the pressures faced by relatives who did not choose public lives. Hartley Short’s name-change petition, as reported by Page Six, provides a rare documentary account of those concerns being raised formally in court, with her describing the potential risk of harassment tied specifically to her work in psychiatric and clinical settings.

While public records and media accounts have filled in some parts of her professional background, the central details that emerged this week came from the sources closest to her formal identity: a court filing explaining her decision to change her name, and a family statement confirming her death and describing her as a loved and joyful presence in their lives.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the United States, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be reached free on 116 123.