Martin Short is recalling the family tragedies that “completely” changed his life.
The 76-year-old comedian recently appeared at a Netflix event with David Letterman and Paul Schafer, where he reflected on losing his brother, mother and father.
As David pointed out that after watching Martin’s Netflix documentary film, Marty, Life Is Short, the “one thing that struck me was your childhood.”
“You came from a funny Irish Catholic family and then suddenly your brother died in a car accident. And then your mother got cancer. And then your father died. That’s an incredible amount of loss very early,” David told Martin.
“Yeah, I was around 20,” replied Martin. “My older brother David died first. He was the star of the family. Then my mother was diagnosed with cancer at his funeral and died three years later. My father died the year after that.”
“So there was definitely a period where life changed completely,” added the Only Murders in the Building actor.
Martin lost his brother when he was just 12, while his mother and father passed away before he was 21.
Recently, in an interview with People magazine, the Father of the Bride actor shared the way he coped with the tragedy his family has experienced.
“There isn’t a period of my life that I don’t like to think about or wouldn’t go back to,” he told the outlet. “It sounds like a tragic family, but it really isn’t.”
“My mother had cancer, and she had been ill and then in remission since I was 13. She was a remarkable person; both my parents were. So I never looked at it as if it was a tragedy — that I didn’t have them my whole life. You learn some sense of priorities. Our whole family took the attitude that if you have wonderful moments, don’t second-guess them, just enjoy them,” he added.
