In a recent Instagram post, Ashley Judd slams the media for publishing police evidence related to the death of her mother Naomi Judd. Naomi was an American singer and actress who died by suicide last April. She was 76 years old.
The piece that went online was obtained by the Williamson Country Sheriff’s Office that was an image of a note written by Naomi Judd before she passed away. In the note, Naomi asked not to let her daughter Wy come to her funeral as she (Wy) was mentally ill. Wynonna Judd is a country music singer and is currently 58 years old.
Shortly after the media coverage, Ashley Judd spoke out on her social media accounts signed by The Judd & Strickland Families. She mentioned in her statement that the family is deeply distressed by the media’s irresponsible publication of such material. Ashley also addressed that they never wanted the note to be made public as doing so has no public value or good.
One day prior to Naomi’s death, she and her daughter Wynonna was supposed to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. In 1980, the two formed the duo known as The Judds which then received multiple awards and recognition.
Naomi Judd suffered from depression for years and wrote a book about her life experiences in her 2016 memoir River of Time: My Descent Into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope.
In August, the bereaved family filed a petition in which they wanted to seal investigation transcripts and recordings regarding Naomi’s death. Ashley Judd has also written in an op-ed that her mother’s death was the most shattering day of her life. She also stated that things will only worsen if the details of her mother’s death will be disclosed by the Tennesse law that basically allows it.
The family eventually dropped the lawsuit in December since the media requests did not include footage inside the house or photos of Naomi. Instead, they chose to support the new bill introduced that will make death investigation records private in Tennessee.
In the same month, Naomi’s husband Larry Strickland shared some moments he had with his wife. He said that it never entered his mind that Naomi was as sick as she was. She would sit on the couch a lot and he was not compassionate when he constantly told her to get up and move.
At the time of Naomi’s death, Larry was reported to be traveling. Naomi was survived from her bed by her daughter Ashley.
According to a source, Wynonna attended the funeral last year despite what was depicted in the note. She also attended the Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, a celebration to honor her late mother, alongside her sister Ashley. The event was broadcasted live from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 15.
If you or someone you know is dealing with depression, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.