Naomi Judd’s Cause of Death Revealed by Daughter Ashley

Naomi Judd, iconic country star and one-half of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, died by suicide. The country music star’s daughter, Ashley Judd, confirmed her mother’s cause of death during a Thursday appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, revealing that Judd died of a self-inflicted firearm wound on April 30 at the age of 76.

The actress opened up about her mother’s death during an emotional conversation with Diane Sawyer, telling the ABC host, per Variety, “She used a weapon…a firearm.” Ashley explained that despite her mother’s upcoming induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Judd “couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the hall of fame by her peers.” She said, “that is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her, because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn’t penetrate into her heart and the lie the disease told her was so convincing.”

Although Ashley said her mother’s cause of death is “the piece of information we’re very uncomfortable sharing,” she said she and the rest of the Judd family, including sister Wynonna Judd, are hoping to spread more awareness about mental health. Ashley told Sawyer that she was appointed by the family to discuss her mother’s death in an effort to shed more light on mental illness and shine a light on a path for fans that need help.

“When you’re talking about mental illness, it’s important to distinguish between the loved one and the disease. My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish and she was walked home,” she shared, later encouraging viewers to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) if they needed help.

Judd passed away on April 30 at the age of 75. Her death was confirmed in a joint statement shared by her daughters, which read, “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,” they wrote. “We are in unknown territory.” Judd’s husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, also released a statement, which read, “Naomi Judd’s family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time.” A memorial service for Judd is set to broadcast live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sunday via CMT.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.