Naomi Judd, the mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, passed away in April at the age of 76.
Trigger Warning: This story mentions death by suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Naomi Judd, iconic country star and Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo, The Judds, died by suicide in April. She was 76 years old. At the time, daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd announced their mother's death in a statement. "Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public," the statement read, per PEOPLE. "We are in unknown territory." Naomi's husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, added, "Naomi Judd's family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time."
Loved ones are still reeling in from losing Naomi. Wynonna, 58, took to Instagram to share her grief, where she wrote, "There is so much happening in the world right now. So before I sat down to write this, I thought, 'No...I just don't know what to say.' Then, I heard the words from my life coach asking me, 'What do you know?' And I began to cry. I DO know, that the pain of losing Mom on 4/30 to suicide is so great, that I often feel like I'm not ever going to be able to fully accept and surrender to the truth that she left the way she did." The caption was posted along with a photo of Wynonna Judd performing at her mother's memorial. "This cannot be how The Judds story ends," it further read.
Wynonna admitted that talking about mental health is important and that those struggling should reach out to people they trust. "In order to be a healthier grandparent to my firstborn grandchild Kaliyah, {born 4/13, 2 weeks & 2 days before Mom left}, to break the cycle of addiction & family dysfunction," Wynonna continued. "I must continue to show up for myself {first} and do the personal healing work. I DO know, that I feel so helpless—right now especially. I DO know, that as corny as it sounds, 'Love Can Build A Bridge.' I find myself humming the song that Mom wrote for the fans, to myself here on the farm at night. I really DO know, that I'm not able to do this grieving thing all by myself, and that it's okay to reach out for help," she added. "I will continue to fight for my faith, for my SELF, for my family, and I WILL continue to show up & sing." The singer plans to continue on with "The Judds: The Final Tour" as a star-studded event in honor of her mother.
Naomi had previously spoken up about her mental health in her 2016 book, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope. The musician revealed that she suffered from suicidal depression. "Nobody can understand it unless you've been there," the singer told PEOPLE at the time. "Think of your very worst day of your whole life – someone passed away, you lost your job, you found out you were being betrayed, that your child had a rare disease – you can take all of those at once and put them together and that's what depression feels like."
If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
References:
https://people.com/country/naomi-judd-dies-76-country-music-stars-react/
https://people.com/country/naomi-judd-suicidal-depression-still-healing/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT
