Naomi Judd shot herself, daughter Ashley Judd reveals

Naomi Judd, a Grammy-winning country musician, died last month after shooting herself, actress Ashley Judd revealed on Thursday.

Ashley spoke with ABC’s Good Morning America about the death of her 76-year-old mother.

Ashley Judd and her family said they wanted to raise awareness about mental illness because it is “important to make the distinction between the loved one and the disease.”

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Ashley said she understood that once an autopsy was released, the public would know her mother died by her own hand, but she wanted to be in charge of the news.

“I will share with you that she used a weapon, my mother used a firearm,” Judd explained.

“We’re very uncomfortable sharing, but we understand that if we don’t say it, someone else is going to,” Ashley explained.

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Ashley’s sister Wynonna, a well-known singer, did not appear on ABC because she was not ready to discuss her mother’s death.

Ashley described Naomi’s last day alive. She had gone to see her mother in Nashville, Tennessee. Before leaving for a moment to greet a family friend, Ashley went to tell her mother about the visitor and discovered that her mother had shot herself.

“I have both grief and trauma from discovering her,” Ashley told Diane Sawyer, her interviewer.

She went on to say that her mother had resources and support in her battle with depression.

“My mother knew she was seen and heard in her anguish,” she explained.

Despite this, Ashley stated that her mother became overwhelmed and was unable to cope.

“When we’re talking about mental illness, it’s very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease,” she said. “It’s very real, and … it lies, it’s savage – you know, my mother … couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers.”

“I mean, that’s the level of a catastrophe of what was going on inside of her,” she continued. “The lie that the disease told her was so convincing … that you’re not enough, that you’re not loved, that you’re not worthy. Her brain hurt, it physically hurt.”

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Naomi died just days after she and Wynonna (The Judds) announced an arena tour. It was to be their first live performance in more than a decade, having only recently returned to the stage at the CMT Music Awards in April.

The Judds earned twenty top ten hits (including fifteen number ones) and were unbeaten for eight years at all three major country music awards shows as country music’s most recognised mother-daughter duo. They received five Grammy Awards. Naomi won a Grammy for her song ‘Love Can Build a Bridge,’ which she wrote.

As her booming career in country music came to an end, Judd began to experience anxiety, panic attacks, depression, tremors and suicidal tendencies.