Ashley Judd advised people to get treatment for their mental health and discussed her grief journey following her mother’s death, country singer Naomi Judd.
In an interview on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, the actress stated that she wanted to confront her mother’s sadness. Judd noted that she was with her mother at her Tennessee home when Naomi died on April 30.
Judd also advised anyone contemplating suicide to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Naomi Judd died at 76, just a day before she and her duet partner and daughter Wynonna Judd were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In a statement to The Associated Press, the family said that she died as a result of “the affliction of mental illness.”
“When we’re talking about mental illness, it’s critical to be clear and distinguish between our loved one and the sickness,” Judd remarked in the interview. “It’s a lie. It’s ferocious. And, you know, my mother, our mother, couldn’t wait till her colleagues inducted her into the Hall of Fame. That was the magnitude of what was happening inside of her because the barrier between — the esteem with which they held her couldn’t permeate into her heart. And the disease’s deception was so persuasive.”
Ashley Judd stated that her mother shot herself with a pistol but requested privacy regarding other aspects of the tragedy. Naomi Judd’s memoir “River of Time” publicly discussed her sadness and anxiety, and daughter Ashley claimed it was because of this that she treasured every time she spent with her mother.
“I accepted the affection my mother could give me because I knew she was frail,” Judd explained. “So as I walked around the back of their house and came in the kitchen door, she cried, ‘There’s my beloved, there’s my baby,'” she explained. And she glowed. I relished those times.”
Naomi and Wynonna Judd have 14 No. 1 hits in a nearly three-decade career. In the 1980s, the redheaded combo melded traditional Appalachian bluegrass sounds with sophisticated pop stylings, achieving success after the crash. Wynonna led the pair with her strong vocals, while Naomi contributed harmonies and stage style.
Between 1984 and 1991, the Judds recorded six studio albums and an EP and won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven Academy of Country Music Awards. They won five Grammys together on classics, including “Why Not Me” and “Give A Little Love,” while Naomi won a sixth for penning “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
