What happened to Naomi Judd? Mental health struggles explored as daughters Ashley and Wynonna open up about family in documentary

Country music legend Naomi Judd’s life and legacy are being revisited thanks to the announcement of The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, a four-part documentary series that will air on May 10 and 11 on Lifetime.

According to the trailer, the documentary combines emotional reflections from Naomi’s daughters, the actress Ashley Judd and the country singer Wynonna Judd, as they delve into the complicated, deeply personal stories of their family, including Naomi’s decades-long struggle with mental illness.

Naomi Judd died by s*icide on April 30, 2022, at the age of 76, a day before she was to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Her death shocked fans and the music community, drawing attention to her battle with mental health.

Naomi had a long history of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, according to the autopsy report and statements from the family. She had also been suffering from post-traumatic stress and was in intensive therapy in the months before her death.

Talking about her everyday struggles, Naomi opened up during a 2017 interview with NBC News, where she talked about how difficult it was to live with a dysfunctional brain.

"But when the problem is your brain, when the problem involves the way that you're thinking and the way you're living every day of your life, you can't pull that off anymore." She stated.

Naomi Judd became a mental health advocate following her treatment. She worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to help erase the stigma attached to mental disorders. She also described her own journey in her 2016 memoir, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope.

More about the upcoming documentary and her husband, Larry Strickland's remarks about Naomi Judd’s final days

According to ABC News, the documentary will supposedly offer a complete portrait of Naomi’s life, including her humble beginnings as a struggling single mother in Kentucky and her rise to fame alongside Wynonna as The Judds, the mother-daughter musical duo who achieved 14 No. 1 hits and several Grammy Awards.

In one clip from the documentary's trailer, Ashley Judd, one of Naomi Judd’s two daughters, reflects on her family’s fame, saying she simply considered her mother and sister’s success “awesome.”

On the contrary, Wynonna Judd talks about the sufferings, alluding to the emotional toll that their close yet complicated relationship took.

"I was old enough to know that something was wrong. It's a blessing and a burden to be that close to your mother."

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In recent interviews, Larry Strickland, Naomi Judd’s husband, gave insight into the last few months of Naomi’s life, calling them “chaotic” and “extremely hard.” Although he worked hard to support her by managing her medications and promoting healthy habits. Strickland said he had no idea how miserable she was.

"I was trying to get her to eat. I was trying to get her to exercise. I handled her medications... If I had known where she was, I would've been much softer on her." He said in a staetment.

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