Ashley Judd announced the death of her mother, Naomi Judd, in a statement released to social media Saturday, and revealed ‘mental illness’ as the cause of her death.
The 76-year-old country star was set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame May 1 but sadly passed before being able to accept that honor, CNN reported.
Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful 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. We are in unknown territory.
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) April 30, 2022
Naomi Judd’s struggle with mental illness was well documented. She appeared on “Good Morning America” in 2016 and revealed she had been diagnosed with “severe, medically resistant depression and anxiety,” according to the interview.
“My face is all swollen from the medication that I’m on,” said Judd, before confessing that she had previously contemplated suicide. She then discussed her time spent in psychiatric wards and her attempts to overcome depression with the use of medication and electroconvulsive therapy.
“When people meet me they think, ’cause they see me in rhinestones, with glitter in my hair, that really is who I am. I’m sort of a fantasy because I want to provide that for them, but then I would come home, and not leave the house for three weeks, and not get out of my pajamas, and not practice normal hygiene,” she said in the video. “It was really bad,” she painfully admitted. (RELATED: Johnny Depp Describes Bloody Fights And Amber Heard’s Suicide Threats In Court)
Judd candidly discussed the depths of her struggles in her 2016 book titled “River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope,” according to CNN.
Naomi and her eldest daughter Wynonna began singing as a professional duo in the 1980s and went on to sell more than 20 million records. They were recognized for hits such as “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Love Can Build A Bridge,” according to CNN.
Earlier this month, after spending several years out of the spotlight, Wynonna and Naomi performed together at the CMT Music Awards. Naomi was poised to launch a 10-date tour this September, according to CNN.