Naomi Judd’s family has asked for “respectful privacy” after an autopsy showed that the singer killed herself.
Friday, an autopsy confirmed what Naomi Judd’s family had said before: that the country music star killed herself.
The Grammy-winning singer, who was one half of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, died on April 30 at the age of 76. On that day, Judd’s daughters Wynonna and Ashley posted on social media to say that she had died.
“We sisters had a terrible day today. Mental illness took our beautiful mother away from us “They sent out tweets. “We are in pieces. We are in a deep state of grief, and we know that everyone else loved her as much as we did.”
The Williamson County medical examiner in Tennessee figured out how Judd died. He said Judd had a history of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder and had left a “note with suicidal overtones” near the scene.
In a statement, Judd’s family asked people to pray and think about people with mental illness and their loved ones. They also told people how to reach the 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline.
“We’ve always been honest about both the happy and sad parts of being a family. One part of our story is that our matriarch had to deal with an unfair enemy “Judd’s family, which includes the sisters and Larry Strickland, the husband of Naomi Judd, said this. “We knew what to expect from the toxicology and autopsy reports. She got help for PTSD and bipolar disorder, which affects a lot of people in the U.S. We still can’t believe what has happened. We, her widower and children, would like to be left alone while we mourn.”
In an interview with Diane Sawyer that aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on May 12, Judd’s daughter Ashley talked about her mother’s death.
Ashley Judd said that her mother Naomi “used a gun,” which was confirmed by the autopsy.
“That’s the piece of information we don’t feel comfortable sharing, but you have to understand that if we don’t say it, someone else will,” she said.
The actress also said that she went to see her mother that day and that her mother was the one who “found” her.
“Sister and Pop gave me permission to speak on behalf of the family at this early stage, before details about April 30 become public (a “part of the gossip economy”) and are out of our hands, like the autopsy or how she died. This is because of that, or else it would be way too soon, “Sawyer, she said.
Ashley, 54, and Wynonna, 58, have been open about how they are grieving their mother’s death and have asked the public to give them time to heal.
The Judd family asked a court earlier in August not to let documents about Naomi Judd’s death be made public. The petition was filed on behalf of Strickland and her daughters in Williamson County Chancery Court, which is outside of Nashville. The petition says that the investigation records include video and audio interviews that were done right after Judd’s death and that releasing them would cause “serious trauma and irreparable harm.”
Along with the video and audio records, the family asked that all of the materials from the investigation be kept secret.
The petition said that several news organizations, including the Tennessean, had asked for records, such as toxicology and autopsy reports, that were made during the investigation.
The lawsuit says that the family’s request for privacy does not apply to the toxicology and autopsy reports because they are public records and are not covered by Tennessee’s open records laws.
After putting in their petition, Naomi Judd’s family released a statement calling the day she died “the most heartbreaking day of our lives.”
“Mental illness took the life of our beloved mother and wife. In the wake of this tragedy, our family has tried to grieve together, with our community, and most importantly, in the privacy that everyone who loses a family member deserves “they told me.
