A look into Martin Short’s family life after the death of his daughter

On August 21, 2010, Martin’s wife of 30 years died after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 58.

The Captain Ron actor discussed how he and his children said goodbye to the beloved matriarch during a 2014 appearance on Meredith Vieira’s daytime talk show.

“[Nancy] had once said to me, ‘I don’t want a funeral, and I don’t want a memorial. Have a party, or not.’ She was just so annoyed that she was losing this battle, she didn’t want to think about it,” says the father of three.

He later laid Nancy to rest by scattering her ashes in a lake near the family’s cottage in Canada.

“I just followed her wishes. We went up, we had a party with about 30 close friends and family. She was cremated. The kids and I went in a boat, we sprinkled the ashes in the water and we jumped into the ashes,” he continued.

In a cover story with AARP in 2019, the Three Amigos star said their wedding “was a triumph.”

“So it’s hard. She passed away in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey Nan’, you know?’ he admitted. “How would she react to this or that decision, especially regarding our three children?”

Even after Nancy’s death, Martin reportedly still feels his late wife’s presence around him.

“I believe that when people die, they zoom in on the people who love them,” he added. “The idea that it just ends, and you don’t talk about it – that’s wrong… for me she’s still there.”