Naomi Judd Cause Of Death Revealed As Suicide - The Singer Battled Depression Courageously
The tragic news of the passing of country music star Naomi Judd, one half the duo The Judds, has taken an even sadder turn this morning, as we now know that the cause of her death was suicide.
When her death at the age of 76 was reported, a statement made on Instagram from her daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd was issued reading,
"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. We are in unknown territory."
It has now come to light that the mental illness in question was a battle the "Love Can Build A Bridge" singer had been struggling with for some time before she took her own life. She was an advocate for mental health, and shared her issues in a 2016 book, entitled River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope. In the book, she shared her ongoing battle with suicidal depression.
Upon the release of the book, Naomi sat down with People in 2016 to discuss her disease and explain what exactly she would go through on a daily basis, including putting in an elevator in order to get around her house, due her legs being weak from lack of exercise.
"I literally couldn't leave the house for weeks. I was completely immobilized and every single second was like a day. It's so beyond making sense but I thought, 'Surely my family will know that I was in so much pain and I thought they would have wanted me to end that pain [through suicide].'"
Only the fact that she was terrified by the idea of someone close to her finding her gave the singer the will to go on, finding alternative treatments and therapy.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, know there is help out there. Please call call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
