Quote Of The Day By Only Murders In The Building Star Martin Short: 'She Died In 2010, But I Still Communicate With Her...'

Martin Short is one of the great Canadian comedians of the last 50 years, with a near-endless list of hilarious credits to his name. He's part of the Five-Timers Club on "Saturday Night Live" and starred in iconic shows like "SCTV," "Mad TV," and "Primetime Glick."

He's also made guest appearances in the likes of "Damages," "How I Met Your Mother," and "The Morning Show" — the latter being one of the best shows on Apple TV. Of course, Short is also known for frequently working with fellow comedian Steve Martin — and they've worked together on some classic movies, like "Three Amigos!" and the "Father of the Bride" movies.

But their most recent collaboration is the murder-mystery series "Only Murders in the Building," along with Selena Gomez. The trio play budding true crime podcasters in New York who investigate a death in their apartment block. While you wait for "Only Murders in the Building" Season 6 to arrive on Hulu in December, here's Short's quote of the day.

"Our marriage was a triumph. So it's tough. She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It's 'Hey, Nan,' you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids."

Martin Short's quote of the day comes from a 2019 interview with AARP, when he was asked how he was affected by the death of his wife, Nancy Dolman. She died in 2010 from ovarian cancer after they were married for almost 30 years. He explained that his perspective on death is that it's wrong to never speak about the person after they're gone.

Short also said that losing his wife "emboldened" him to take risks because he sees tragedy as a way of pushing yourself to be more daring. He added: "It's the yin to the yang: The positive part of life's dark side."

Martin Short's quote is a reminder that grief and loss don't have to revolve around being immensely sad for the rest of your days — they can also be a comforting reminder about the person's life. In this case, the actor had a family with Nancy Dolman and they built a life together, which is clearly something he cherishes. He has been without her for over 15 years, and he still tries to think about what she would say about his life now.

By asking her how she'd react to certain decisions or things to do with the kids, he's giving himself a north star to look to in times of uncertainty. Losing your partner is a difficult thing to go through, but there is something strangely comforting about having the memory of someone you loved as the thing that still steers your life even after they've gone.

It's also a reminder that navigating grief is not a straight line, and it can take many forms depending on the type of loss you're dealing with. Everyone grieves differently, but there can be comfort in a person's memory.

• "People tend to like to be around people who make them laugh. I fooled around a lot in class. If the teacher was weak and fragile, I took advantage behind their back. If the teacher was tough, I was cooperative. I didn't want to go to the principal's office. So I took advantage of weakness." — from a 2003 interview with The Believer
• "When you get to a point where you're successful enough that you can say, 'I don't have to take any job anymore,' and you're still good at what you do, how do you decide what work to take on? I think the answer is that you pursue what you enjoy. In my case, it's variety." — from a 2018 interview with Vulture
• "I learned early on that a nervous person doing comedy you just don't like. You cannot care which joke works." — from a 2021 interview with The New Yorker
• "All I know is that you only know your own life. At 20, I knew things about life and death and tragedy and loss that none of my friends knew about. I don't know why this didn't screw me up. The only thing I can think of is that these kind of life stresses either empower you or defeat you." — from a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter