Martin Short Shares Sweet Memories of Beloved Ex-Girlfriend Gilda Radner: ‘Every Guy Wanted To Date Her’

Martin Short is remembering legendary actress Gilda Radner, with the two having dated in the early ’70s after meeting while starring in the Toronto production of the musical ‘Godspell.’

The comedian appeared at the Netflix Is a Joke Presents: This Better Be Funny with David Letterman event on Thursday, May 7, speaking with Letterman and Paul Shaffer. There, he detailed the story of how the two met.

“Godspell had opened off-Broadway and become a huge hit, so they were mounting a Toronto production,” Short recalled (per PEOPLE). “I was still in university. Gilda Radner was there. Eugene Levy. Andrea Martin. Victor Garber.”

Short went on to explain that the “callbacks were chaos,” as it was “hundreds of people,” but in the end, “somehow we all got cast together.” He added that none of them knew one another.

“We were just thrilled to be out of school and doing something creative,” Short explained.

While her relationship with Short ended, Radner went on to marry another actor. She and Gene Wilder tied the knot in 1984, with the two having met on the set of “Hanky Panky. In 1986, Radner was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and went into remission, but her cancer ultimately returned. She passed away in 1989, with Wilder at her side. Radner’s legacy is truly an incredible one, as she won an Emmy Award for Saturday Night Live in 1978 as well as a Grammy Award for “It’s Always Something” in 1990. In 2003, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Martin Short Said Gilda Radner Was ‘Exactly As Wonderful As You’d Hope’

Short reflected on his relationship with Radner, saying that the actress was “exactly as wonderful as you’d hope.”

“Every woman wanted to be her best friend and every guy wanted to date her because she was just hilarious and alive and warm,” Short added. “The first rehearsal, she came over and said, ‘Hi, I’m Gilda. I’m really excited to meet you.’ She was instantly funny.”

Martin Short Met His Future Wife During The ‘Godspell’ Production

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While he met and dated Radner after meeting on the production of’Godspell,’ Martin also met his future wife, Nancy Dolman, who was cast as Radner’s understudy.

“She was an incredible singer. Huge talent,” Short said of Dolman, with the two having married on December 22, 1980. The couple adopted three children: Katherine, Oliver, and Henry.

Dolman tragically passed away in 2010 at age 58 from ovarian cancer, with the two having been married for 30 years.

Short also recently lost his daughter, Katherine, in February and opened up about her passing during an appearance on  “CBS Sunday Morning.”

“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” he said. “But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal. And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she couldn’t until she couldn’t.”

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