Ashley Judd speaks out about her mom Naomi’s heart-breaking suicide and depression struggles during poignant White House speech: ‘Mental illness had convinced her it would never get better’

Ashley Judd gave a moving speech on suicide prevention as she opened up about the sudden death of mother Naomi Judd, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The 56-year-old appeared alongside other notable suicide prevention advocates – including singer Aloe Blacc and campaigner Shelby Rowe – at the event at the White House complex in Washington on Tuesday.

She opened up about her mother’s struggles with mental health, saying that on the day Naomi committed suicide ‘the disease of mental illness lied to her and with great fear [had] convinced her that things would never get better.”

It comes just a week after Ashley shared the heartbreaking moment she discovered her mother’s body after taking her own life on April 30, 2022, at the age of 76.

Ashley took the stage in a flowing white summer dress, but wrapped a burlap blanket over her legs as she took the microphone.

She began, “I am here because I am the daughter of my beloved mother and on the day she died, which will be the two year anniversary in a week, the The disease of mental illness lied to her and convinced her with great fear that things would never get better…

“I am convinced that we deserve to be remembered, not only for the way we died, but also for the way we lived.”

Ashley shared further details about her mother as she revealed, “She also lived most of her life with an untreated and undiagnosed mental illness that lied to her and stole from her.

“It was stolen from our family and she deserved better.”

Naomi died of a single gunshot to the head and left a suicide note near her body in her home in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee.

She suffered from “significant” anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, according to an autopsy report.

Sharing her own experiences with depression, Ashley explained: “I’m also here because for the first time I can remember, I was abused by a man when I was seven years old.

‘Then I got childhood depression and I know the feeling that I didn’t want to be here, but I had a different experience because I went into treatment in 2006 for unresolved childhood grief and sexual trauma.

‘I have been recovering well for eighteen years and have had a different outcome than my mother. I convey a message of hope and recovery.’

Elsewhere, Ashley discussed the details of her “chosen family,” who she described as “so close and connected.”

She talked about how they had “walked beside her through the whole 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 overcome the overdose crisis.

In January, Ashley appeared on an episode of CNN’s All There Is with Anderson Cooper to discuss her mother’s death.

Ashley said: “It was traumatic and unexpected because it was suicide and I found her,” but added that she was “so happy” she was 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, ‘Mommy, I see how much you’ve suffered and it’s okay… I’m here, and it’s okay to let go.”‘

She revealed that she told her mother to go find her dead loved ones, adding: “All is 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 daughter Wynonna during a surprise reunion at the Country Music Awards.

They sang a powerful song of reconciliation written by Naomi, titled ‘Love Can Build A Bridge’, during her last public appearance before her suicide.

A toxicology report concluded that the singer had several medications in her system at the time of death.

The autopsy report stated, “She suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to Williamson Medical Center where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

‘Per family, the deceased previously had suicidal thoughts and recent life stressors.

‘A weapon and a note with suicidal connotations were found at the scene of the deceased.’

According to the report, “the gunshot punctured 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. Anyone who has experienced this tragedy understands that in the depths of a mental health crisis, thinking is profoundly distorted. Furthermore, the worst days are never representative of the comfort and joys of days without illness.

“In the wake of this tragedy, our family has attempted 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 sincere and open family, both about our hardships and the depth of our love for each other. However, in this specific matter we ask for privacy, because a death with privacy is a death with more dignity.’