Naomi Judd's Autopsy Confirms Cause of Death, Family Requesting Privacy
Naomi Judd's autopsy confirmed her tragic cause of death and officially revealed details about her passing. The complete report indicates the new details many speculated about the country legend's passing, while her family, including daughter Ashley Judd, is pressing the need for privacy in the wake of the loss.
Judd died on April 30 at 76, one day before the iconic singer was set to enter the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Williamson County medical examiner in Tennessee confirmed that Judd took her own life and had a history of anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. The report also indicates that Judd left a note at the scene. The Judd family addressed the autopsy release.
Naomi Judd died from a gunshot wound to the head -- confirmed by the singer's autopsy -- which also revealed she left a suicide note at the scene of her death. https://t.co/hxbNy781xd
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 26, 2022
"We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe," the statement from the family reads. "The toxicology and autopsy reports are as we expected. She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate. We continue to reel from this devastation. We appreciate respectful privacy as we, her widower and children, mourn."
Recent legal filings also revealed that Judd's daughter, Ashley, was by her side before she died, and that video and audio recordings existed from shortly after Judd's passing. The petition filed by the family was to block specific details from going public and causing "significant trauma and irreparable harm" if released.
Ashley Judd also confirmed some of the details surrounding her mother's passing during an interview with Good Morning America back in May. Judd confirmed that her mother had used a firearm before her death, now confirmed by the autopsy.
"That's the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we're in a position that – if we don't say it, someone else is going to," Judd told the morning show and Diane Sawyer. "Sister and Pop deputized me in certain ways to speak on behalf of the family at this early time before details about the 30th of April become public ('a part of the gossip economy') and are out of our control – whether it's the autopsy or the exact manner of her death. That is the impetus for this, otherwise, it's way too soon."
The Judd family have been gracious with the information released publicly, while also trying to keep the more tragic details from the headlines. While it is impossible to keep every detail out of the limelight, Ashley and Wynonna Judd, and widowed husband Larry Strickland have balanced the need for public mourning and a desire to keep the sensitive moments to a minimum. Rest in peace to the country legend.