Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez didn't attend the Actor Awards after the death of Martin's daughter Katherine

Martin's absence was confirmed during the ceremony as Jenna Ortega read out the nominees for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series award.

Although Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This), Ted Danson (A Man On The Inside) and The Studio's Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz were shown in the audience, Martin was represented with a still photo.

Seth won the award, while Martin - alongside Steve and Selena - was also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series category, with fans eagerly awaiting the upcoming sixth season later this year.

According to PEOPLE magazine, the trio all opted to avoid the ceremony following the actor's family tragedy.

Katherine Short was found dead on February 23 after taking her own life at the age of 42.

She is said to have been found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A representative for Martin confirmed her death in a statement to Page Six on Tuesday (24.02.26.)

They said: "It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short.

"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."

A neighbour told Us Weekly Katherine had not shown visible signs of distress before her passing.

They added: "Katherine was a private person but that doesn't mean she wasn't friendly. She was quite outgoing."

The neighbour also said they would "hear and see her laughing with friends" on her front porch at times.

Katherine, a psychiatric social worker, had previously written about living with mental illness.

On her now-deleted professional website, she wrote: "Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years."

She owned the service dog, named after the singer Joni Mitchell, in the years prior to her death.

In 2012, Katherine - who was adopted by Martin and his late wife Nancy Dolman along with sons Oliver, 39, and Henry, 36 - legally changed her surname from Short to Hartley.

In documents explaining the change, she wrote: "My father is a public figure and I am a psychiatric social worker."

She added: "I am worried about potential harassment from future patients resulting from my association with my father."

Katherine maintained a low public profile and was last seen publicly celebrating her 40th birthday in 2023.