Musicians Naomi Judd and Larry Strickland’s marriage is still considered among the most enduring in the annals of country music, lasting nearly three decades until Judd sadly passed away in 2022, by suicide. Like any long-term relationship, the union had its share of difficulties, which were especially heightened by the demands of their respective professions, pressures from celebrity status, and Judd’s struggles with mental health issues.
In a new Lifetime docuseries, The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, which focuses on the intimate life of the famous family, their wins, and tragedies, Larry Strickland shared details of a violent altercation between him and his late wife.
Larry Strickland confirms that his late wife once shot at him for cheating
View this post on Instagram
Commenting on the 1995 TV movie Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge, which depicted a dramatic scene where Judd, portrayed by Kathleen York, shot at Strickland, played by Bruce Greenwood, after discovering his infidelity, Strickland confirmed that the series of events was very accurate. He explained that at one time in their marriage, his late wife fired a gun at him after catching wind of him cheating.
In her 1993 memoir Love Can Build a Bridge, Judd had also previously described her marriage to Strickland as intense and deeply passionate, strained by his frequent absences from home. She noted that the cracks in their marriage became painfully visible in the 1980s when a woman from the Northeast phoned their Nashville residence, expressing her affection and longing for Strickland. The emotional toll of the infidelity overwhelmed Judd, leading to a heated confrontation upon her husband’s return.
Naomi Judd and Larry Strickland stuck to each other despite their challenges
Despite the initial challenges they faced, the couple stuck together with Strickland remaining steadfastly by her side throughout her well-documented mental health struggles in the years leading up to her death in April 2022.
However, his unwavering loyalty seemed to have been highly rewarded when, after Judd’s passing, it was revealed that she had named him the sole executor of her $25 million estate, passing her famous daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd, whom she had previously worked with.