Ashley Judd didn’t expect her mom’s final message to be a cry for help. But that’s what it was. A simple text that read, “Pls help.” It was the morning of April 30, 2022, and Naomi Judd had finally reached her breaking point. What followed was a heartbreaking series of moments that Ashley is now sharing with the world.
In the new Lifetime docuseries “The Judd Family: Truth Be Told,” Ashley, now 57, revealed how she spent her mother’s final moments from the first urgent message to the last words she whispered as she held her mom’s hand.
Naomi Judd kept going, especially because of daughter Ashley Judd
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When Ashley got to Naomi’s home, she found her pacing the kitchen, uneasy and distressed. Naomi told her daughter she didn’t want to be here anymore. But after a while, she calmed down and the two had a meaningful talk. Ashley said Naomi opened up about why she kept going despite years of battling her mental health. One of the reasons she gave was Ashley herself.
“And I said, ‘You don’t have to worry about me, Mom. I’m okay. I’m okay,’” Ashley shared in the documentary. “And she really took that in, like it meant something deep to her.” Later, Naomi went upstairs. When Ashley noticed the silence, she followed and called out for her mother. But there was no answer.
Ashley found her mom in the bedroom. Naomi had harmed herself with a gun. She was still alive when Ashley found her. “I held her. I told her it was okay,” Ashley said. “I’d seen how much she was suffering. We breathed together. I kissed her. She smelled so pretty.”
Ashley spent the next thirty minutes talking to Naomi, comforting her, and assuring her that she could let go in peace. That moment, filled with quiet love and grief, is something Ashley says she will carry forever. The autopsy later confirmed that Naomi died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She had been treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder. As painful as it was, Ashley says she hopes their family’s openness can help others. “Millions of Americans live with mental illness,” the family said in a statement. “This is part of our story, too.”