Country music singer Naomi Judd died by suicide, autopsy confirms

Naomi Judd, one of the
singers of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds, who died on April 30 aged 76 had
indeed died by suicide, an autopsy report has confirmed. The country music star’s
family had indicated the same earlier.

The Williamson County
medical examiner in Tennessee determined Judd’s manner of death and said the
singer had a history of anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, USA Today
reported. The examiner further said Judd had left a note with “suicidal
connotations” near the scene.

On the day of her death,
Wynonna and Ashley, Naomi Judd’s two daughters, announced on social media that
they had lost their mother to mental illness. “Today we sisters experienced a
tragedy. We lost our 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.”

Also Read | Naomi Judd shot herself, daughter Ashley Judd reveals

Following the release of the
autopsy report, the Judd family has asked for prayers and thoughts for those
who live with mental illness and their loved ones. “We have always shared
openly both the joys of being family as well as its sorrows, too. One party of
our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe,” Judd’s family
said in a statement.

“The toxicology and autopsy
reports are as we expected. She was treated for PTSD (post-traumatic stress
disorder) and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate. We
continue to reel from this devastation. We appreciate respectful privacy as we,
her widower and children, mourn,” the statement read.

That Judd had used a
firearm to take her own life was revealed by her daughter Ashley during an
interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” episode that aired on May 12. “That’s
the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand
that we’re in a position that – if we don’t say it, someone else is going to,”
she said.