Judds Control Rumors by Revealing Naomi Judd’s Cause of Death
Amid speculation by the public, inquiries by the media, and a continuing investigation by authorities, the family of deceased country music legend Naomi Judd has revealed that she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when she passed away on April 30th at the age of 76. They previously had only revealed that she had passed away due to “the disease of mental illness.”
Speaking with Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America on Thursday morning (5-12), daughter Ashley Judd said, “She used a weapon…my mother used a firearm. So 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.”
The incident happened the day before The Judds were to be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. With the family’s blessing, the ceremony went forward as planned, with Ashley speaking along with her sister and 2nd half of The Judds, Wynonna.
Ashley went on to tell Diane Sawyer, “Our mother couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her, because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn’t penetrate into her heart, and the lie the disease told her was so convincing.”
Though the family is convinced the death was due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, it is important to note that the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department has still not ruled on a cause of death, and is waiting for a conclusive medical examiner’s report before making any determinations.
“We don’t have anything more to release than what we’ve already said, which is that this is a death investigation, simply because we’re waiting for the results from the medical examiner,” Williamson County public information officer Sharon Puckett tells Saving Country Music. “That is just the way we do business. Unless we have something confirmed, we’re not going to speculate. That’s just where we are.”
Williamson County is also were country legend Tom T. Hall died. Hall passed away on August 21st, 2021, but it wasn’t confirmed until months after that he had passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as well. It can often take six weeks or longer for autopsy reports to be finalized due to toxicology and other tests.
Last week, People Magazine reported that Naomi had died of suicide, and numerous other outlets picked up on the news. However, neither local authorities, nor the family or representatives would confirm the information at that time, and it came from unnamed sources.
Ashley Judd went on to say of discovering her mother, “It was a mixed day. I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house visiting as I am every day. Mom said to me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course I will.’…I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her.”
Naomi Judd was open about her struggles with mental illness, and that she harbored thoughts of suicide. By revealing her cause of death, the Judd family is not only hoping to stay in control of the narrative about their mother, but to raise awareness about the nature of the suffering mental illness can cause.
“My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish, and she was walked home,” Ashley told Diane Sawyer. “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. It’s very real, and it lies, it’s savage.”
May 12, 2022 @ 8:57 am
She committed suicide. That’s all I need to know, and I’m so sad that someone gets to the point they feel the only way out is to kill themselves. I don’t really care how she did it.
August 1, 2022 @ 9:53 pm
What is sad is the selfishness of her act. If you are alone and kill yourself, that is one thing. To leave a loving family with so much pain and sadness is pure selfishness.
August 27, 2022 @ 9:42 am
For those who think it was pure selfishness on Naomi’s part, just doesn’t have a clue the depth of depression one must be in to take one’s life. They are not wanting to die, they want to end the pain, it has nothing to do with selfishness.
May 12, 2022 @ 9:28 am
So sad.
May 12, 2022 @ 9:38 am
Sad. I guess the only good that might come of this is more awareness. Brutal being in the public eye sometimes.
May 12, 2022 @ 9:59 am
I agree with others, I did not need to know all the details and it is sad they felt like they needed to come out with them. I must say this though, Ashley was very specific in talking about how the country community held her mother in high regard, but the disease, told her otherwise. With that statement it almost seems like it was not coincidence when it happened, the day before the induction, because she did not want to be around those people. It is very scary to think about the different ways mental illness can attack a person and what it can have them believe and think.
May 14, 2022 @ 10:59 am
But Naomi having been a nurse, wouldn’t she have used drugs instead of a gun? Drugs could have been a much easier route to go…Sadly, I had friend who was an RN. She killed herself by drugs and it was quickly less painful Just what if someone knowing Naomi had been in a bad mental state was angry with her then shot her nobody would be the wiser…because she reportedly had prior mental disease? A long shot but not inpossible and if it wasn’t suicide then that’s very serious business. The coroner should know I guess.
May 19, 2022 @ 5:23 am
Finally, someone is seeing this as a possibility of something other than a suicide. I posted a comment on a YouTube video after watching Ashley’s interview. I will paste my comment below.
“I’m in the same age group as Naomi’s daughters. I raised my children with the Judd’s along with many other stars from “back in the day”, playing in the background of our lives. Hearing their music now that my children are grown and out on their own, is nostalgic and sentimental to me in so many ways.
I appreciate and respect the fact that Ashley has taken on the role of releasing this information to the public in hopes of preventing rumors and such. This took a lot of inner strength and I mean absolutely no disrespect by this comment as it leads to a question.
I deeply sympathize with the family in this loss. My mother attempted suicide on two separate occasions. The idea of losing her to her mental illness was always in the forefront. I can not say, I know how the family feels, but I can say, I am deeply sorry for your loss and I pray your family finds closure and recovery from this heart wrenching tragedy.
I only have one question.
Why didn’t Ashley or the visiting friend hear the gunshot when she was standing in the yard of the home greeting the visiting friend?
I don’t completely understand the events of the day. Ashley never said she heard a gunshot.
She said she was in the front yard, greeting a friend, then went inside to get Naomi and found she had shot herself. Neither person in the yard heard a gunshot inside the house? Was there a silencer on the weapon?”
It is my understanding that she also had a dog or dogs in the house. If a gun went off while they were present, they’d have barked enough that anyone in the yard should have been alerted to something wrong inside the home.
Suicide by gunshot, two people in the front yard, dogs on the property and no one was alerted? I don’t know. . .
My condolences to the family, friends and fans who are grieving the loss of a country music icon who will always be loved and never be forgotten.
May 19, 2022 @ 7:44 am
There are a lot of people taking a poorly worded phrase by Ashley, and are using it as evidence of something that we have no other indication exists. But of course, that’s all you need to do with a conspiracy is cast doubt. You don’t have to prove anything. Forget that Naomi Judd was very open about suffering from depression and wrote a book about it, and was explicit that she considered suicide. And if it wasn’t suicide, what happened. Did Ashley murder her mother? What happened?
Again, I am still waiting for a report from the Sheriff and the Medical Examiner before saying conclusively what happened to Naomi Judd. But sowing conspiracy theories can be and is very hurtful to families. I would stress severe caution in doing so.
May 19, 2022 @ 8:49 am
Everybody wants to play Sherlock Holmes. “The Dog That Didn’t Bark In The Night.”
I think the shooter was someone who came to steal Naomi’s racehorse. Silver Blaze.
May 20, 2022 @ 3:28 pm
Another thing is women almost NEVER kill themselves by gunshot.. That’s a man thing. Women usually just take overdose of pills or cut their wrists. And I’m sure she had a lot of meds she could have taken. She would also be very aware of who , Ashly, would find her body and would know what it would look like for her to see. I’m not buying that Naomi Judd killed herself. The stories don’t mesh. I don’t know who did but I don’t believe suicide.
July 1, 2022 @ 10:23 am
You can rest assured, NO ONE else shot her! Ashley was there, had just stepped out the front door to greet a neighbor Naomi had asked to stop by. The shot was heard, no one else inside. Ashley went upstairs to let her know the friend had arrived and she found her. It seems more like Naomi timed the whole thing herself. She’d asked Ashley to stay with her, Ashley said of course she would, then she’d also called this friend to come over, then shot herself while Ashley was greeting the friend. I think maybe she called the friend to support ASHLEY, whom she knew would be the one to find her dead. She did not wait to see the friend who had arrived, Ashley had already assured her that YES, she … Ashley … would of course stay with her, it appears she wanted Ashley to be the one to find her, but didn’t want ASHLEY to be alone in her grief and shock. Well, it wasn’t a huge shock. They’d all seen it coming for months.
July 21, 2022 @ 3:11 pm
If you blow your brains out, there is no pain. If you overdose on drugs think of what your body goes through before the drug takes the full affect
May 12, 2022 @ 10:47 am
This just breaks my heart. But I think there is an opportunity for everyone to put aside differences and remember that we are all human beings. We all have our virtues and our vices. We may believe different things or see the world differently. We may have different political or religious views. But our common humanity supersedes all of that. Maybe if we all took the time to get to know each other as people, we would be a little bit kinder to each other and realize that we have more in common than we realize.
May 16, 2022 @ 5:28 am
Really what I thought..fame is cruel and strange..making people do unspeakable things..this is not suicide..it’s the other..she spoke of suicide for help..her daughter is to cool as the show must go on…either way we lost an amazing person…God bless and RIP..PEACE..
May 12, 2022 @ 11:37 am
They weren’t rumors. There were journalists who spoke with family members who shared. Rumors are found in tabloids — reputable sources had her cause of death.
May 12, 2022 @ 11:53 am
The cause of death of Naomi Judd has yet to be ruled upon. I spoke to authorities in Williamson County this morning and confirmed that. Though it’s very, very likely a suicide corroborated by how she was found, you don’t know that until the investigation has concluded. I think many people would consider “People” magazine a tabloid, and they presented an unnamed source that both local authorities and representatives for the family refused to verify.
Look, we all know what happened here. But it is important that the way this information is presented to the public is respectful of the family and the situation.
May 18, 2022 @ 10:43 am
No we don’t know what happened! Too many holes in Ashley’s story. I believe she had something to do with it and that’s why she wanted to control the narrative before the autopsy she even said so to Diane Sawyer. Who was the friend that came over that day why didn’t they hear a gunshot why didn’t Ashley hear a gunshot? What was that conversation like before Ashley went downstairs to answer the door
May 18, 2022 @ 11:04 am
Naomi Judd committing suicide seems very bizarre to me, she was such a strong beautiful talent, a steel magnolia, in a sense.
Im so glad the sheriff’s department is following through to complete a thorough investigation.
May 18, 2022 @ 12:22 pm
As I’ve said, I am still waiting on the findings before coming to any ultimate conclusions. However, Naomi Judd talked very openly about her problems with severe depression and thoughts of suicide specifically. I don’t think suicide would be a bizarre outcome, but I do believe we should wait for the full investigation before we close the book on this matter.
May 24, 2022 @ 7:00 pm
Maybe it was assisted suicide and the family doesn’t want to say. Wynonna said she kissed her mother on the forehead to say goodbye. If she shot herself in the head, there would be nothing left to kiss. Why didn’t anyone hear a gunshot? Seems strange. I’m thinking assisted suicide.
May 18, 2022 @ 1:32 pm
AMEN Voice of Reason & Common Sense For The LAWS
May 12, 2022 @ 11:41 am
“Ashley Judd went on to say of discovering her mother, “It was a mixed day. I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house visiting as I am every day. Mom said to me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course I will.’…I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her.”, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course I will.’…I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her.””
I can’t imagine the horror of finding a loved one dead. Self inflicted, or otherwise.
These statements are bizarre. If not, self serving.
How is it that no one heard the gunshot? Was a silencer used?
In my experience, guns are loud.
Can be heard far away from the incident.
No one is controlling the questions, or concerns.
May 12, 2022 @ 12:37 pm
What questions do you think should have been appropriate to someone who just found their mother dead a week prior and only did this to get ahead of the tabloids? Hasn’t she suffered enough? Let her tell it when she’s ready and not when we are.
May 12, 2022 @ 1:07 pm
I was confused by that as well. Also with the shame in saying it was a firearm. What difference does that make, and how does that distinction “raise awareness?”
May 12, 2022 @ 7:14 pm
Some people believe that the high rate of suicide in the US, especially by gunshot, is a direct result of the ease of access to guns in the country. They use this argument while advocating for gun control. While I’m not personally interested in restricting firearms ownership I think they’re probably right. A handgun is about the quickest and easiest way to go.
May 13, 2022 @ 3:54 pm
This was the method my father in law used. When I was attending a support group session with my wife, I learned that women attempt suicide at a rate well above that of men, but that men are much more successful because they generally have more access to guns. I am also not a gun control person, but this is just the reality.
May 17, 2022 @ 4:49 pm
I cannot help but feel Naomi’s tragic death could have been prevented. I thought her daughters said goodbye to her knowing she was planning on taking her life. I might be mistaken but Naomi clearly needed an intervention. It is too late sadly but something just isn’t sitting well with me. Rarely do women shoot themselves in the head. God Bless You Naomi.
May 13, 2022 @ 9:17 pm
Maybe the awareness is, keep firearms away from depressed people. Even if they tell you I would never shoot myself. Don’t make it easy for them.
May 12, 2022 @ 7:47 pm
I could be wrong about this, but I think she might have just had an odd way of saying things. I felt like her mother asked her to stay and when she went over to the house, she went up to let her know she was there, basically she was the good friend. There is a very good chance her mom was not really up and around a lot, especially if she was very depressed, so Ashley probably would have just let herself in and went to where her mom would probably be. I could be wrong, but that is how I took it. If that is true the easiest way to say it would have been she went up to let her know she was there, but some people just describe things differently.
May 16, 2022 @ 10:07 am
But, that is not what Ashley said. You just made all that up in your head. She said she was at Naomi’s house speaking to her and went downstairs to let a friend in. Then went back up and “discovered.” So, we are asking why she did not say she heard it then ran up stairs. Also, who was the friend? Did Naomi know Ashley was letting this friend in or did she just say “be right back.” If so, what was it about this friend that Naomi went from “stay with me” to ‘I’m outa here’ in a matter of minutes?
May 17, 2022 @ 1:09 am
I never says “she went downstairs to let a friend in” where did you get that part from. She definitely has a strange way of saying things as I’ve read it multiple times and cannot figure out what she means. How did she not hear a firearm?
I got that she was visiting with her mom. Her mom asked her to stay with her. Then sometime later she went upstairs when a friend arrived and discovered her. It could mean anything. I’m sure she has a huge property and maybe Ashley was out and about on the property, or even went to the store, who knows, but it does seem odd she wouldn’t have heard it
May 18, 2022 @ 1:38 pm
Amen sister even a rookie detective can tell Ashley story doesn’t add up. And yeah she has all the sympathy now because she controlled the narrative by putting out the info before the autopsy came. Look at Ashley’s eyes when she tells Diane Sawyer it was a firearm! I saw a DEMON in those eyes 🧞
May 12, 2022 @ 8:35 pm
I would like to know Why-her family knowing she is so mental and so disturb Why they had a gun in the house or let her know there was one in the house?
May 14, 2022 @ 3:14 pm
Depression is a paradox in a puzzle. The person suffering can only describe what they feel and fear it doesn’t take them under. Not living it any more is their way out.
June 20, 2022 @ 8:23 pm
Exactly!! If she was suicidal why the hell would you have a gun in the house in the first place??!! If it were my mom or loved one, I would have made damn sure there were no guns or pills anywhere that she could get!!!! And made damn sure there was someone with her at all times!!! Hell they have the money so something isn’t right about this whole thing!!!!
May 13, 2022 @ 11:08 am
“Mom said to me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course I will.’…”
this phrase really sticks with me. the sadness contained in it, the loneliness the horror that shortly after saying this she takes her life. her daughter may spend the rest of her life wondering, “what if i had not gone downstairs” how sad all around, and how sad so many other people feel this way. i wish i had something useful to say here.
it it me the same way Prines “hello in there” hit me. how much in those words.
i disagree when people feel this was a selfish act. those people do not know nor understand the despair a suicidal person feels and how other worldly it is. it is pain beyond comprehension, that makes you feel there is only one way to stop that pain. it is unreasonable, it is sad, but it is not selfish.
May 18, 2022 @ 10:45 am
Also who was the friend that came over that day why haven’t they come forward to say if they heard a gunshot? Why didn’t Ashley hear a gunshot? Also what was that conversation like before Ashley went downstairs to answer the door? In the past Diana or Naomi has said if she was ever to commit suicide she would not want anyone to find her and be traumatized this included the park ranger if she did it in the woods.
May 18, 2022 @ 8:50 pm
Maybe she did not choose to included those details in her statement
July 1, 2022 @ 11:18 am
Too many drama seekers on here doing what they do, speculating and spreading their fabrications. Good grief! Nothing is “off” about this. It happened just like Ashley said. To the one who doubted Wynona’s kissing her mother on the head, NO, their head is not always blown off. Depends on the size of the bullet. Haven’t you ever seen a pic of a shooting victim (human OR animal) whose head is perfectly intact, just one small clean hole and if it was in her hair, you wouldn’t even see THAT, only blood. Being a nurse, Naomi would know exactly where to shoot to preserve her face and make death swift and final. And trust me, she was a vain woman (read her book, watch her on video) who would be VERY careful to keep her face looking beautiful. Wynona even remarked that “her eyebrows still looked perfect” when she kissed her mother. As for the sheriff not ruling yet, HE made it crystal clear that they have a procedure to follow no matter how crystal clear it is that this was a suicide. They WILL adhere to protocol, ever iota of it, before making a final ruling. They will also wait for toxicology reports, etc. But it’s clear to all involved that this was a suicide by gun. I’m in the middle of reading Naomi’s book and to the ones who find it unbelievable for a woman to shoot herself instead of just taking pills, for some reason Naomi did NOT want to die that way. Let’s see what you think of her FIRST plan for her suicide. She had planned earlier to jump from the 200-ft. high Natchez Trace overpass that is near her farm, hitting the hard paved highway below. I used to live in that area. She was friends with the Natchez Trace park ranger who told her how tall the bridge was, so she knew death would be instant. She also wanted him to find her body before anyone else; she knew his routine, his schedule. Guess she ditched that idea for the gun instead. Yeah, I agree with Naomi, a gunshot would be easier to do than finding the courage to dive off a 200-ft. bridge onto a busy highway below where your face would definitely not be preserved. Y’all need to find something else for entertainment; you need to read her book and other factual sources. And last, stop speculating about the gunshot not being heard. It WAS heard. It came out in the media, way before Ashley spoke out, that a neighbor heard a gunshot. Probably another reason the family decided to speak out. Just like she said, they made that decision because people were already talking and they wanted to speak before rumors like these on this thread went crazy. Y’all need to get a life.
May 12, 2022 @ 11:44 am
I am just shocked by the timing of it. I cannot wrap my head around it. This will definitely be one of the saddest moments in country music history. Keep singing Wynonna, it’s what you do.
May 12, 2022 @ 1:03 pm
As somebody who has been at t he knife a mutiple occasions… it is sad and tragic because it is so complicated. Naomi wanted to end her pain but in doing so she left behind suffering. And right when she was to receive a high honor for her work. It’s just a situation that for lack of a better word sucks…
But awareness is good and it shows that depression take over at any age.
May 12, 2022 @ 1:13 pm
Whoever deleted my comment that said “ashley is trash” is a weak bitch
May 12, 2022 @ 2:28 pm
I’m that weak bitch. It’s bad enough you have to take this opportunity to twist off on the dead and bereaved. But I’ll be damned if you lead off my comments section with it.
And yes, we all know the complexities and drama of the Judds Family legacy. But this is not the time or place to jump into all of that.
May 12, 2022 @ 7:31 pm
You know if your first comment to a story like this is to berate the daughter, who has to deal with not only the loss of her mom, but the trauma of finding her as well, then maybe you need to do some deep reflection on who you are as a person.
May 18, 2022 @ 9:43 am
I doubt that the person or more so the mole who trashed Ashley is intelligent enough to know what self reflection is much less how to start.
May 13, 2022 @ 10:03 pm
To the person who felt it appropriate to trash Ashley Judd AND Naomi Judd.
Suicide is a horrible part of severe depression which is a mental illness. I bet if your family member had a diseased organ (heart, lungs, pancreas, liver) you would understand that but because this is a mental illness and involves another organ – the brain – you don’t get it? If you don’t understand something then it would be fair for me to say you should educate yourself a bit before coming on here and posting the kind of comment you did. A child found her mother dead. Think about that. A mother felt there was no other way to end her own torment and pain. Think about that. NO ONE in their right mind would shoot themselves and that is the point – it is the result of severe depression and mental illness where no matter what she tried, researched, took part in – it did not work. She tried therapy, medication and electric shock therapy. She was trying to get better and in this case it failed her.
If you have nothing helpful or kind to say – why are you on this thread?
August 1, 2022 @ 10:16 pm
What is sad is the selfishness of her act. If you are alone and kill yourself, that is one thing. To leave a loving family with so much pain and sadness is pure selfishness.
May 12, 2022 @ 1:21 pm
The only person to feel sorry for here is Wynonna. Her big day at the hall of fame was ruined by the selfish act of her mother. And then to top it off, her loser baby murdering sister goes around looking for all the attention she can get.
May 12, 2022 @ 2:23 pm
Let’s just leave out that your comment is as heartless as it is ill-informed.
If you watch the interview, the FAMILY decided that Ashley would be the one to speak out before morons like you start spouting off. These people just lost their mother for god’s sake! How about showing some actual CHRISTIAN decency and offer them prayers and grace and not stinging rebukes.
May 18, 2022 @ 9:48 am
Like I commented above. Because this moron is empty of everything except morals and values.
May 18, 2022 @ 6:49 pm
The comment I made about the empty guy. What I should have said is that he is empty of everything but mostly morals and values.
May 14, 2022 @ 7:55 am
I can’t help but ask myself, “you couldn’t have waited one more day?” But remember, this isn’t our family and it’s not our place to judge, really, or tell the family what they should be feeling. I imagine there’s some anger on the part of the survivors, mixed in with all the other feelings. But that’s for them to process, not you, know what I’m saying?
May 18, 2022 @ 8:53 pm
Fir Pete’s sake r u kidding me ? You might need a dr visit yourself. How dare you make an accusation like that
August 1, 2022 @ 10:18 pm
I’m with you 100 percent.
May 12, 2022 @ 1:58 pm
Something seriously wrong with some commenters here.
May 12, 2022 @ 3:32 pm
Welcome to the SCM comment section!!!
May 12, 2022 @ 5:23 pm
Ashley Judd was pure grace in that interview. I admire her and Wynonna very much for the honorable way they are handling this impossible situation. Ashley has always been a very private person for someone in show business. It is clear the main reason for Ashley’s interview is a discreet plea that the media respect Naomi’s legacy and dignity and not exploit this horrific situation in a crass manner for ratings and internet hits. I hope the family’s wishes will be respected.
Naomi clearly was an amazing woman and mother, that should be underlined. Prayers for all the family.
May 12, 2022 @ 7:45 pm
Amen. It sounds as if the immediate family had to say goodbye to her then and there (given Wynonna’s HOF comments about kissing Naomi and walking away). That’s hard enough. But then having to pull yourself together in a day to face the public the way they did, and with such grace and even humor. Naomi would be so proud of her girls, and their strength is a testament to her love for them. She was classy, she was tough, and she will be missed…but never forgotten. The Judds’ music is timeless. God bless Wynonna, Ashley, Larry and their family.
May 12, 2022 @ 6:17 pm
Oh dear god. Poor Ashley discovering her mother, my heart aches for her. My brother committed suicide the same way and his fiancé came home and found him. To say she is/was traumatised is a total understatement. Something her nor Ashley will probably ever recover from.
I hope That Naomi has found the peace and serenity that clearly alluded her in life.
May 15, 2022 @ 8:10 am
My best friend committed suicide by gun and I am so selfishly thankful that the police found him while his wife and I were searching frantically for him. It would have made the entire situation somehow worse.
May 12, 2022 @ 6:27 pm
I also understand why the family chose to reveal all the grisly details. There is still alot of stigma and shame around suicide. There is also a ghoulish desire a lot of people have to “know how they did it”.
When my brother committed suicide 3 years ago, in the days following my dad lied to a few strangers about it, clients of my brother’s who dad had to call to say he’d died and couldn’t complete their job. Dad said it was his heart.
I encouraged dad to just be honest about it, that there is zero shame in the way my brother died, and the more we talk about mental
Illness, suicide, self-harm … the better it is for us as a society. We need to create safe spaces for people to be transparent about such matters, as awful as they are.
My brother also used a gun, which is actually a pretty shocking way to die in my country, because not many people own guns or have access to them.
I applaud the Judd’s decision to get out in front of it all, be honest and transparent cos it actually just stops all the rumour and gossip in it’s tracks.
May 13, 2022 @ 8:53 am
I’m sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your experience.
May 13, 2022 @ 3:29 pm
Thanks, mate. A lot of other really poignant comments here too. It’s nice to see 🙂
May 12, 2022 @ 7:20 pm
Just on the off chance that someone thinking about committing suicide happens to be browsing this comment section the number for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is:
1-800-273-8255
And to everyone else please don’t wait for people to come to you with their problems. Reach out. I’ve lost a number of family and friends to suicide and I wish I had tried or tried harder.
My sympathies to Wynonna and Ashley. It can hurt even more when you have a complicated relationship to the person who passed away.
May 13, 2022 @ 3:49 am
I can’t believe people can be so god damn cruel to each other.
May 15, 2022 @ 8:11 am
It’s really hit the next level in this thread.
May 13, 2022 @ 4:59 am
My heart is with the Judd family. This is not an easy thing to process. It’s been almost 2 years since I experienced the loss thru suicide. My ex-husband took his life Oct 2, 2020. He was my high school sweetheart, the father of my son, grandfather to our 2 beautiful grandgirls and even after our divorce, my best friend. It’s over whelming at the amount of grief and constant questioning of ones self,.. could I have done more, should I have done this, what if, and it goes in and on. Some days I get thru just fine. Telling stories of old times and other days, I find my self picking up the phone to call him or send a message, and then it’s silent. Realization hits that I can’t do that. I watch my son and my granddaughters struggle with trying to come to terms with it.
So anyone who thinks this is a selfish act, or just being judgemental about the subject… Is way off their mark. I saw my ex a week before when he came by to visit and nothing seemed unusual in his behavior, no indication anything was wrong. Yes, he left behind grief, but also unanswered questions, and those questions haunt us every day. But to come to the decision to end your own life and actually take that step, the final moments leading up to that, it takes a courage that I can’t wrap my mind around. I know at that moment I couldn’t. And to be so depressed, so lost in your own mind that the only light at that tunnels end is taking your life, it’s all so hard to understand. So reading some of these comments has been hard to do. But as a person who had loved another with so much of herself, seeing the family we created together, losing him to his battle with depression was a harsh blow and people who tarnish that by being cruel, and judgemental are people who don’t love themselves enough to lavish understanding and sympathy to others.
May God bless the Judd family and give them the strength and understanding they need. And may He also bless all the people who are quick to judge others. Bless them with the gift of knowledge and understanding.
May 13, 2022 @ 3:18 pm
Oh, Bonnie. Thanks for sharing. I agree with what you said about the courage it must take to take that final step to ‘complete’. The darkness and hopelessness must be ….. terrifying. The only thing that brings me solace about my brother is knowing he is now free of all his burdens and worries. Exisiting somewhere beautiful, waiting for us all to join him someday. Call it heaven, call it Nirvana, call it the universe. Doesn’t matter.
I hope you know you couldn’t have done anymore than you did. You did your best with what you had at the time, and ultimately it was his decision.
My therapist said to me when I called her to tell her about my brother “We need to respect the decision they made”. I mean, what else can you do, really?
May 13, 2022 @ 8:27 am
A sad situation all around.
The West is in crisis and it is manifesting itself in skyrocketing rates of drug abuse, vice, divorce, crime, suicide, etc. This is what happens when you spend 60 years telling young white kids they are inherently evil, their ancestors were evil, and they are responsible for all of bad situations in the world and actively destroy their culture, neighborhoods, institutions, schools, etc. The revolutionaries have managed to induce total moral chaos and universal despair among Westerners, which is exactly what they intended
May 13, 2022 @ 9:38 am
Bullshit, I was a young white kid 60 years ago and nobody told me I was evil.
May 13, 2022 @ 10:40 am
Depends on where you grew up. A lot of the 20th century poison in this country came out of the urban upper east coast academia.
May 13, 2022 @ 10:56 am
The Ivy League “elite”, especially.
At UVM, not exactly Ivy League, but not shabby, was “forced” within ALL curriculums to take an BLM course. Pretty much told them to go f themselves, and to go ahead and put me down for an “A” for that cute little course.
This was between 2003 and 2005.
Laughed my way off the porch of that building that evening.
May 13, 2022 @ 1:38 pm
We (the US) took in a lot of communists and anarchists from central and eastern europe in the early 20th century. These people were problems in their own home countries so we took them in to become problems here. And many found homes in academia and they spread eventually into most colleges and other places and have done horrible damage to this country. But it has always been centered in that general Ivy League area. Alas I’ve digressed enough from the original topic.
May 13, 2022 @ 2:48 pm
@NattyBumpo,
& you are totally correct.
And, then some.
May 14, 2022 @ 5:46 am
This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever read.
May 14, 2022 @ 5:53 am
Brilliant analysis
May 14, 2022 @ 5:55 am
A lot more brilliant than a bullshit QANON post blaming the goddamn left.
May 14, 2022 @ 6:08 am
Clearly, you’re a product of the operation.
May 14, 2022 @ 6:00 am
lol – what a clown comment
May 18, 2022 @ 10:17 am
Or maybe we should lay the blame on folks like you, RD — So consumed with pointing fingers at political phantoms and bullshit conspiracies that they’ve neglected their core responsibilities as parents, mentors, and otherwise decent human beings at the expense of their families and greater society in general.
May 13, 2022 @ 10:24 am
I don’t know who deleted it but they should have you’re a cruel b****
May 14, 2022 @ 9:47 am
It turns out the reports of her suicide were true…truly tragic I hate it for the family especially Ashley having to walking in & find that your mother killed herself is just down right tragic. It’s bad enough when someone dies but it’s even more heartbreaking when they don’t have to but I don’t know what she went through on a daily bases inside her mind or how she felt, hopefully she has found happiness in the afterlife. R.I.P. Naomi Judd thanks for the great performances & the memories you have left behind for us.
May 15, 2022 @ 12:23 pm
From someone whose experienced a 5150 twice, the mind is a tricky thing. Try and look at your daily mundane world … family, job … just the cars driving by you as you walk the dog are not who they appear to be … paranoia and self doubt and loneliness … and thinking you are seeing reality and cannot get everyone to see the truth of what truly is … instead of looking at you like you are looney … you get to a point that you are just so worn out and tired, and since you have racing thoughts and cannot even find peace during sleep, an idea of total rest and relief creeps in and will not leave. And even meds are suspect as who is in control?! So if you meet truly evil people who prey on your mind working like this, master manipulating you for their means … employers … your kids … then you can be driven literally mad by the simplist lie or even a lie by omission. So like cancer, meds need to target the bad cells and protect the good cells. The correct meds can work, som, but can take time. Counseling too. Some. But what can flip it all back to square one is that mind being left alone to ruminate too much. It’s called chemical imbalance. No less dangerous than diabetes or asthma. Controlled but all it takes is a perfect storm. Then. You are gone. I pray Ashley and Wynonna KNOW no one had control but the demons. Everyone fought the good fight. My only comment: A gun had no business being in that house, but she would have found a way no matter. Demons never give up. You only hope you can outstand … outfight them … hold out until a natural day of dawning appears. 🙏🏼❤️💐
May 15, 2022 @ 3:31 pm
Not selfish at all, El Babo. So sorry for your loss.
May 17, 2022 @ 3:31 pm
How did she get a hold of a gun?
Guns laying around?
May 18, 2022 @ 10:04 am
To the people who question guns in the house: Naomi Judd was a very familiar name in America and the world. There is also evil in the world. There are stalkers who prey on the famous. I would bet that Naomi had her own firearm that she carried when necessary. In Suicide, firearms are the final say. They don’t want to be rescued, talked out of it, etc. Sometimes other means are used because the person doesn’t necessarily want to die but they need help, now. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.
May 17, 2022 @ 4:10 pm
Folks, please stop with the intimate questions and/or judging Naomi or her family. Naomi was not a child or a person who needed to be under lock and key every moment. She could have purchased a gun herself and nobody knew she had it. She could have picked a lock on a cabinet. You can’t really stop a person who in a sudden moment of irrational behavior does something to harm themselves. I’m sure the family has done plenty over the years to keep Naomi from harming herself but you can not monitor someone 24 hours a day outside of a hospital and not always then, either.
May 18, 2022 @ 9:24 am
Naomi had the same type of Depression that I have. (MDD) Major Depressive Disorder and it frequently includes being Treatment Resistance. Previously a lot of clinicians gave it the label of “Clinical Depression”. It is a hard disease to describe to others who don’t suffer from it. I can say this about being Treatment Resistant; imagine every time a new medication is approved, being first in line to try it with a wing and a prayer that it’s works longer than a few months. Worried that it won’t and being afraid that it won’t work at all and that the suffering comes back worse than before. Then when it doesn’t work you become convinced that it didn’t work because “You are hopeless” and you will never get better, it’s too hard and you are too tired. Hopefully you can feel or at least get a glimpse, just a speck of what it’s like. When I heard that she had the same type, I completely understood. I felt the same way when I heard that Robin Williams committed suicide and that he suffered from MDD. I’m very sorry that the disease convinced Naomi that it would always win and that she would always suffer. It’s a horrible way to live, I know but it’s more so a horrible way to die. I feel so much for Ashley! I can imagine the pain she is in and will be in from finding her mother. I hope the strong Love and Support from her family and friends remind her that the same outcome is not meant for her. Ashley seems to have an understanding that this type of Depression is always simmering on that back burner. I know that with mine, I have learned that some days it’s truly the moments that get you through it. Like this morning, I was thinking about what happened, how it happened and the finality of it all. I was looking out my window into the back yard and just then I saw a brand new baby fawn. It’s one I knew had been born but her momma had not brought her out yet as she is only 1 1/2 weeks old. Today is the day that I was blessed to see her. Just a brief moment I felt such a deep sense of joy in my heart! ❤️ There are new discoveries being made in this kind of Depression. I do have faith that it will be a curable disease just like Hep C has become. But until then, if you know someone who is hurting to the point that depression interferes with everyday life or if that someone is you, do not feel ashamed or guilty. There are more of us out there than you know. I can tell you that people who suffer this way are also some of the most creative, intelligent, empathetic and dedicated people that you will ever meet! At the risk of sounding like an old recording, Depression is a real disease. It is a disease of the mind and spirit much like any other chronic illness, i.e., a simple UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) which if ignored and left untreated can interfere with daily life and if not recognized in time it can and probably will become catastrophic. Godspeed to you Naomi ❤️ and Bless Pop and her Girls! ❤️
August 1, 2022 @ 10:25 pm
Well good she ended her pain….and left behind pain for her family. Bravo naomi 👏
May 18, 2022 @ 10:28 am
Too Many HOLES in Ashley’s Story. I Do NOT Believe It was Suicide
May 18, 2022 @ 10:32 am
IT WASN’T SUICIDE ILL BET A MILLION DOLLARS ON IT.
Why wasn’t there a gunshot heard? What was that conversation like between Ashley and her mother BEFORE going to answer the door? Diana or Naomi said in the past & QUOTE:
“IF I was to ever commit suicide I would not even want the park ranger to find me I would not want anyone to find me and go through that trauma” UNQUOTE
May 18, 2022 @ 8:58 pm
Plz stop commenting stop judging these are your thought only
May 18, 2022 @ 10:56 am
THIS IS A STUPID COMMENT LINE YOU CAN’T COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND THEY DELETE YOUR COMMENTS IF IT DOESN’T PLEASE THEIR NARRATIVE I WON’T BE BACK
May 18, 2022 @ 12:20 pm
Chill out. You were sent to moderation because you’re running up and down this comments section leaving comments in response to people IN ALL CAPPS. As I have said, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department has yet to rule on Naomi Judd’s death and we should all wait for that ultimately conclusion. But I’m not sure conspiracy theories are helping the cause at this moment, and should be shared with caution. Let’s all be patient for the ultimate findings to come out.
May 18, 2022 @ 1:29 pm
Most of my comments were NOT all capitalized so that’s a LIE!!!!!!! only one of them. Because this comment line is stupid it should be more like YouTube or news break where you can comment back and forth and you know who sent you the comment as well. This is an amateurish website
May 18, 2022 @ 2:15 pm
Okay brother I understand your website a little better now. And I certainly agree with your opinion we should wait on the final outcome. But if you want this website to be more successful everything should be in numerical order by date. And have the name of a replier to your comment. Also you should be able to delete your comment and start over. You should be able to undo your like as well. Lastly I do love the BEAUTIFUL picture you have of Naomi it is my favorite✝️🌹. She definitely had no depression here and was on the right medications at this time. Some doctor took her off of them that’s why nothing else worked.
May 18, 2022 @ 6:59 pm
She suffered from Treatment Resistant Depression. No doctor took her off anything and just because she looked happy doesn’t mean a thing. The way you express and write, I would say you are too young to be commenting on anything that you have no knowledge or experience in.
May 18, 2022 @ 1:03 pm
Actually your comment was probably deleted because it’s ridiculous speculation…oh and you’re a moron.
May 18, 2022 @ 7:02 pm
She suffered from Treatment Resistant Depression. No doctor took her off anything and just because she looked happy doesn’t mean a thing. The way you express and write, I would say you are too young to be commenting on anything that you have no knowledge or experience in.
June 8, 2022 @ 5:57 pm
I have had depression issues since a child. No prescription medication helped at all. I had absolutely no reason to be depressed, loved my husband, 3 beautiful daughters and 7 perfect grandchildren. Live in a million dollar home and all the money I could want. I can paint, play guitar and piano, sew, crochet, garden, make jewelry but at the last suicidal episode, I had no interest in anything. Couldn’t make myself do anything. I just wanted to not be alive. I found on the internet a clinic that gave kettermine by IV. After the first treatment it was like someone lifted a fog. My husband and I were thrilled, finally hope. Less than a year later my husband died and grief overwhelmes me. I had been with him since I was 15 and now heartbroken. It’s totally different from the depression I had but I think I’m going to see if the kettermine might help. People that have never had a depression problem have no idea how it makes you feel. My kids even bought me a gun because of being alone. No family realizes that it can actually happen to someone you love. I’m not suicidal but really, really sad. Either way I can hide it and you’d never know.
June 30, 2022 @ 8:20 pm
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/breaking-coroner-confirms-country-music-star-naomi-judd-committed-suicide/
October 24, 2022 @ 6:40 pm
I just want to know why the gunshot was not heard by Ashley.