The music world was left in shock by the passing of the legendary country music icon, Naomi Judd. However, no one felt the weight of her loss more deeply than her daughters, Ashley and Wynonna Judd. About a month after Naomi’s tragic death, Ashley sat down for an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America and disclosed that her mother had taken her own life.
“She used a weapon… my mother used a firearm,” Ashley shared with Sawyer. “That’s the piece of information that we find very difficult to discuss.”
Ashley went on to share the heartbreaking journey her mother had with mental illness and the circumstances of her final days.
“My mother knew she was seen and heard in her pain, and she was accompanied on her journey,” Ashley expressed. “When we talk about mental illness, it’s crucial to differentiate between our loved ones and the illness itself. It’s very real, and it can be incredibly deceptive.”
Ashley recounted a poignant moment before her mother’s passing: “I visit with my mom and dad every day when I’m back home in Tennessee, so I was at their house, as I always am. Mom asked me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I replied, ‘Of course, I will.’ I stepped away to greet one of her friends, and upon my return, I discovered my mother’s lifeless body.”
Despite the devastating loss, Ashley cherished the moments they shared together.
“I fully accepted the love my mother was capable of giving me because I knew she was fragile,” Judd shared. “Every time we embraced, and she held onto me, I was fully present for those moments of physical connection because I knew that a day would come when she would no longer be with us.”
In memory of her mother, Ashley created an altar in her home. She shared on Instagram
