Martin Short Had a ‘Technicolor’ Dream After His Oldest Brother’s Death at 26 That Helped Him Heal: 'A Cloud Had Lifted'
Martin Short Had a ‘Technicolor’ Dream After His Oldest Brother’s Death at 26 That Helped Him Heal: 'A Cloud Had Lifted'
Lizzie HymanThu, May 14, 2026 at 6:13 PM UTC
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Martin Short in 2023.
Credit: Steven Simione/FilmMagic
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Martin Short is reflecting on the loss of his oldest brother, mother and father before he turned 20 — and how those experiences shaped his outlook on life
The comedian recalls having a “technicolor” dream following the death of his brother, after which he “woke up, and a cloud had lifted"
Marty, Life Is Short is now streaming on Netflix
Martin Short is opening up about the love and loss that shaped his childhood.
In the Netflix documentary Marty, Life Is Short, the 76-year-old comedian reflects on losing his oldest brother, mother and father before he turned 20 — and how those experiences shaped his outlook on life.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, on March 26, 1950, the youngest of five siblings, Short recalls a “great deal of love growing up in that house" in the documentary, adding, “My mother was a sweet angel of a person. My father had so much edge. I think that with any family, if you have one grounded, sweet, angelic person, whether the mother or the father, then that balances everything out.”
Martin Short and his parents in 'Marty, Life is Short'
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
When he was 12, his oldest brother, David, died in a car accident at age 26 while Short was at sleepaway camp. The loss of David, whom Short describes as “handsome,” “funny,” and “ridiculously sweet and adored,” left him devastated. “It was like nothing made sense,” he says of his immediate reaction to the tragedy.
Short recalls a moment that helped ease his grief. “I had a dream.… It was in technicolor,” he says. “I was sitting by a stream in the woods, and David came up. He was handsome, he was wearing this beautiful Ban-Lon shirt. And he said, ‘I’m fine. Everything is wonderful. And I’ll see you in a minute.’ And I woke up, and a cloud had lifted.”
At his brother's funeral, Short’s mom, Olive, developed a cough, and her health soon declined. Not long after, his father, Charles, also became ill. By age 20, Short had lost both of his parents.
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“Do I become defeated forever?” Short asks in an archival interview featured in the documentary. “Or learn that life is short and have a glass of wine and laugh and appreciate these people and never let them go. That’s the great secret. If you never let them go from your life, then they’re always with you. Because before you know it, you’ll be with them.”
The Short siblings. From left: Michael, Brian, Martin and Nora Short in 'Marty, Life is Short'
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
That philosophy — what he and his siblings Brian, Nora and Michael called “maintaining the merry theme of life” — became central to how the Shorts moved forward. “My family adores each other to this day,” Short says. “The four of us get together, we have hilarity, drink rum and Cokes, laugh, insult each other like nothing’s changed. Very close family.”
“We had a bad eight years,” Michael, an Emmy-winning comedy writer, says to his brother in the documentary while reflecting on losing their brother, mother and father in rapid succession. “We had a speed dial to the funeral parlor,” Short jokes in response.
“But there were laughs during those eight years,” he adds. “That’s the point.”
Marty, Life Is Short is now streaming on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
