Ashley Judd gave a moving speech about suicide prevention as she spoke about the sudden passing of mother Naomi Judd, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The 56-year-old appeared alongside other prominent suicide prevention advocates, including singer Aloe Blacc and activist Shelby Rowe, at the event held at the White House complex in Washington on Tuesday.
She opened up about her mother’s mental health issues and said that the day Naomi took her life’he mental illness illness was lying to him and with great terror [had] He convinced her that she would never get better.
It comes just a week after Ashley recounted the heartbreaking moment she discovered her mother’s body after she took her life at age 76 on April 30, 2022.
Ashley Judd gave a moving speech about suicide prevention while speaking about the sudden death of mother Naomi Judd, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The 56-year-old appeared alongside other prominent suicide prevention advocates, including singer Aloe Blacc and activist Shelby Rowe.
Ashley took the stage in a white summer dress, but wrapped a burlap blanket around her legs as she took the microphone in her hand.
She began: ‘I am here because I am the daughter of my beloved mother. and on the day of his death, which will be his second anniversary in a week, the mental illness illness was lying to her and with great terror he convinced her that she would never get better…
“I firmly believe that we deserve to be remembered not only for how we died but also for how we lived.”
Ashley continued to share details about her mother, saying: ‘She also lived most of her life with an untreated and undiagnosed mental illness that lied to her and stole from her.
“He stole from our family and she deserved better.”
Naomi died from a single gunshot wound to the head and left a suicide note near her body at her home in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee.
He had struggled with “significant” anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, according to an autopsy report.
Ashley spoke of her own experience with depression, explaining: ‘I’m also here because I was sexually abused by a man for the first time that I can remember when I was seven years old.
It comes just a week after Ashley recounted the heartbreaking moment she discovered her mother’s body after she took her own life at age 76 on April 30, 2022 (pictured in 2013).
Ashley spoke of her own experience with depression, explaining: “I’m also here because I was sexually abused by a man for the first time that I can remember when I was seven years old.”
‘That’s when childhood depression started and I know the feeling of not wanting to be here, but I had a different experience because I went to treatment in 2006 for unresolved childhood grief and sexual trauma.
‘I have been recovering well for 18 years and have had a different outcome to my mother. I carry a message of hope and recovery.”
Elsewhere, Ashley dished on the details of her “chosen family,” which she described as “very close-knit and close-knit.”
She shared how they had “walked by her side through the entire experience” of losing her mother.
The White House held the event on the day the annual National Suicide Prevention Strategy was released to highlight efforts to address the mental health crisis and defeat the overdose crisis.
In January, Ashley appeared on an episode of CNN’s All There Is with Anderson Cooper to talk about her mother’s death.
Ashley said: “It was traumatic and unexpected because it was a death by suicide and I found her,” but added that she was “so glad” to be there for her mother after her death.
“Even when I walked into that room and saw that she had hurt herself, the first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Mom, I see how much you’ve been hurting and it’s okay… I’m here, and it’s okay to let it go.'”
She revealed that she had told her mother to go look for her deceased loved ones, adding: “Everything was forgiven a long time ago, leave it all here.” Don’t take anything, be free.’
Just two weeks before her shocking death, iconic country singer Naomi took the stage with her daughter Wynonna in a surprise reunion at the Country Music Awards.
They sang a powerful reconciliation song written by Naomi, titled ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’, in what was her last public appearance before her suicide.
Just two weeks before her shocking death, iconic country singer Naomi took the stage with her daughter Wynonna in a surprise reunion at the Country Music Awards (pictured).
A toxicology report concluded that the singer had several different drugs in her system at the time of her death.
The autopsy report said, “She apparently had a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to Williamson Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.”
‘According to the family, the deceased has had previous suicidal ideations and recent life stressors.
“At the scene, a weapon and a note with suicidal connotations were found near the deceased.”
According to the report, the shot ‘pierced the right side of the scalp and entered the skull through an entry-type gunshot wound.’
The Judd family said in a statement: ‘Our beloved mother and wife succumbed to mental illness. Everyone who has been through this tragedy understands that in the depths of a mental health crisis, thinking is deeply distorted. Furthermore, the worst days are never representative of the comforts and pleasures of days free from illness.
‘After this tragedy, our family has tried to grieve, together, with our community and, most importantly, with the privacy that anyone who loses a family member deserves.
‘We have always been a frank and open family both about our difficulties and the depth of our love for each other. In this particular matter, however, we ask for privacy, because a death with privacy is a death with more dignity.’