Back in April, the music world was rocked by the death of country icon Naomi Judd.
The singer was 76 years old, but unfortunately his death was not the result of natural causes.
However, to the shock of millions, Judd killed himself with a gunshot wound.
Daughter Ashley Judd confirmed the news, noting that her mother has struggled with mental illness throughout her life.
Ashley was the one who found Naomi’s body, and in the months since, she’s been open about the trauma she’s been through as a result.
But while Ashley is willing to speak out in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of preventing death, there are certain aspects of her mother’s last hours that are understandably sought to remain private.
And one shocking detail of the events surrounding Naomi’s death has now been made public in a new report by Radar Online.
The site reports that images obtained from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Franklin, Tennessee show a Post-It note on which Naomi wrote a suicide note before her death.
“Don’t come to my funeral. He’s mentally ill,” Naomi is seen writing on a yellow Post-It note, underlining the word “no.”
“Wy” seems to refer to Wynonna, Naomi’s eldest daughter, with whom she formed the highly successful musical duo Judd.
It’s not clear why Naomi would be so angry with her daughter and her musical partner in the final hours, but it’s clear why the Judd family would try to strike a happy note.
“There are things we just want to do as a family,” Ashley said in an interview with Diane Sawyer shortly after her mother’s death.
“With my sister and Pop [stepfather Larry Strickland] has chosen me in a certain way to speak on behalf of the family at this early time before April 30th becomes public without our control.
At that time, Ashley told the story of how her mother committed suicide.
“After I said it, it was unspeakable,” Sawyer said.
“He used a weapon … my mother used a firearm. So, this is very uncomfortable information, but knowing that we are in a position that if we don’t say it, someone else will.
The Judd family previously took legal action to prevent the details of Naomi’s death from being made public, but it seems they were unable to suppress the contents of the record.
“I don’t know if we will be able to get the privacy we deserve… I know that we are not alone,” Ashley said in an essay published shortly after her mother’s death.
He continued to express solidarity with Kobe Bryant’s family, whose privacy was also violated by law enforcement leaks after the death of a loved one.
“We feel compassion for Vanessa Bryant and all the families who have had to suffer because of the leaked or authorized public release of the most intimate and raw details of her death.”
Our thoughts go out to the Judd family during this very difficult time.