Naomi Judd's FINAL days: Husband Larry Strickland says singer was in 'FRAGILE' state before suicide
WARNING: This article contains information about suicide and suicide ideation that some people may find triggering or upsetting. Discretion is advised.
Larry Strickland, Naomi Judd's husband, was afraid of his late wife flying alone since he knew she was in a "fragile" state. The late Grammy winner went solo from Austria to Nashville for the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony, a day before her death. On Sunday, May 15, Strickland took the stage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium to talk about the country icon, who died by suicide at the age of 76 on April 30. “I was really scared to death about her flying alone all the way from Vienna back to Nashville cause I knew how fragile she was,” said Strickland, 76, who married Naomi Judd in 1989.
The late country singer's husband was speaking at CMT’s 'Naomi Judd: A River of Time' memorial event on Sunday, 15 May, while standing next to Naomi's daughters, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd. "Naomi never met a stranger. Much to my displeasure, she would start a conversation with anyone who made eye contact with her, and we would end up standing 10, 20, 30 minutes on a sidewalk while she talked to a complete stranger about their passions and their dog." He then described Naomi's flight home from Vienna, Austria, in preparation for the Country Music Hall of Fame event, noting that it was rare for her to travel alone. She returned via Chicago on April 29, the day before her death and two days before her induction into the Hall of Fame. Strickland said, "Well, she made the flight home without any problem."
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MAY 15: (L-R) Larry Strickland, Ashley Judd, and Wynonna Judd speak onstage for Naomi Judd: 'A River Of Time' Celebration on May 15, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)
Naomi left such a deep impression on the man sitting next to her on the flight home that he wrote Strickland an email immediately after her death. Strickland described the letter as "a relief and comfort," adding that the man had no idea Naomi was famous when they boarded the plane together. The "next 90 minutes we spent in each other's company was not only entertaining, fascinating and enlightening, but for me at least, thoroughly enjoyable," the unidentified flight companion said in his letter to Strickland.
Larry Strickland shared an email he received from Naomi’s seat mate on a flight from Chicago to Nashville shortly before she died. Naomi never met a stranger and touched the hearts of every person she met. 🤎 pic.twitter.com/SVYpSOYAVL
— Lacy Robinson (@KentuckyLacy) May 15, 2022
"It's a small comfort, I'm sure, but my life seems a lot richer after meeting your wife, however briefly," continued the note, which visibly sparked an emotional response from Strickland onstage. "Obviously, I didn't know Naomi at all, but I can tell you she spoke highly and warmly of you, and the life you shared together," read the heartfelt email, which Strickland recited while choking up. "Rest assured she loved you and had no qualms about telling me, a stranger on a plane, that was so."
The man concluded his letter by informing Strickland about the "measure and impact" his late wife had on him during their little time together, and Strickland told the audience the message brought him "great, great pleasure and comfort." Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, the songwriter's children, also paid tribute to their late mother during the Ryman Auditorium event. Wynonna, 57, described her mother as an "everywoman," saying, “perhaps this is why everyone felt they knew her.” She also revealed that she will continue the 11-date national tour she had planned with her mom Naomi. “I’m going to have to honor her and do this tour. I’m just going to have to,” Wynona stated. “The show must go on.”
My beloved mother & I shared often with each other about how fraught & dangerous motherhood is, & what can & should be done. Our first Mother’s Day without her, some of my raw reflections: https://t.co/TqruSVYhll
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) May 9, 2022
Ashley, 54, previously said that she was the one who discovered Naomi after she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “I went upstairs to let her know that [her] friend was there, and I discovered her,” the Emmy nominee had said during her 'Good Morning America interview'. The actress spoke about her mother's battle with depression, saying, “It’s very important to be clear and to make the distinction between the loved one and the disease,” Ashley clarified. “The barrier between the regard in which [her peers] held her couldn’t penetrate into her heart, and the lie that the disease told her was so convincing.”
Ashley and Wynonna had also issued a joint statement announcing their mother's death. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” the half-siblings tweeted in April. “We lost our beautiful mother to 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.” While she and her family were "uncomfortable" discussing Naomi's death, they wished to shed awareness on mental health challenges.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at tel:1-800-273-TALK (8255).