Naomi Judd left a heartbreaking final note before taking her own life last year.
Images obtained by the Williamson County Sheriff’s office in Franklin, Tennessee, reveal photos of the beloved country music icon’s final message on Tuesday.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, who was 76 when she died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is said to have written that she did not want her daughter and singer partner Wynonna, 58, to be at her funeral her.
“Don’t let Wy come to my funeral. She is mentally ill,” Naomi appears to have written on a yellow Post-It note, underlining the word “no”.
The images, first reported by RadarOnline, depict the note attached to documents from the investigation with a yellow evidence identifier.
A source told the outlet that Wynonna did, in fact, attend the funeral last year. She also appeared alongside her sister, actress Ashley Judd, in Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration when it aired live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 15.
Another photograph shows what appears to be Judy’s bed spattered with blood and a gun on a bedside table.
A police officer noted in his report that her husband, musician Larry Strickland, was traveling at the time of her death and Naomi did not want to be alone, according to the Daily Mail.
The report also confirmed that Ashley, 54, was the one who discovered Naomi in her bed and called 911, according to the paper.
However, shortly before her mother shot herself, the “Double Jeopardy” actress reported seeing her mother in a manic state and called the family doctor, Dr. Ted Klontz, the documents said.
The doctor tended to Naomi in her bedroom, but had just left for a moment when Ashley discovered her mother with a bullet wound to the head.
The country singer was open about her struggle with mental health issues before her death on April 30, 2022, at her home in Tennessee.
In the weeks following her mother’s death, Ashley sat down with Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” and spoke candidly about her grief.
The “Divergent” actress noted how her family was tired of revealing how her mother died to the public before the news officially broke.
“There are some things we just want to keep as a family,” Ashley said. “Both sister and Pop [stepfather Larry Strickland] I have been deputized in certain ways to speak on behalf of the family at this early juncture before things around April 30 become public beyond our control.”
“Once I say it, it can’t go unsaid,” Ashley cried. “She used a gun … my mother used a firearm. So that’s the piece of information that we’re very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we’re in a position where if we don’t say it, someone else will.”
The Judd family declined to comment on the apparent suicide note when reached by The Post, but previously filed a lawsuit in an effort to keep information about Naomi’s final moments from being made public.
“I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to get the privacy we deserve … I know we’re not alone,” Ashley said in an essay after her mother’s death. “We feel deep sympathy for Vanessa Bryant and all the families who have had to endure the anguish of a leaked or legal public release of the most intimate and raw details surrounding a death.”
Ashley then explained how she hoped that revealing the truth about her mother’s death would encourage others suffering from mental illness to get help.
“My mother knew she was seen and heard in her distress, and she came home,” she said.
The “Frida” actress added: “When we talk about mental illness, it’s very important to be clear and make the difference between our loved one and the illness. It’s so true, and the lie, it’s wild.”
Naomi left both daughters out of her will and instead named her husband as executor of her estate.
The “Love Can Build a Bridge” singer signed the document five years before her suicide and was of “sound mind and sound memory” when she inked the letter.
Following their mother’s death, Ashley and Wynonna released a heartbreaking statement, saying: “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.”
“We are devastated. We are going through deep sorrow and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her audience. We are in uncharted territory.”
The Judds have also been highly critical of possible media coverage of their family tragedy.
The family dropped a lawsuit last December that they filed to try to stop the release of police images showing Naomi’s death and to seal the inquest report.
“Those who are victims of the loss of a loved one to suicide should not be re-victimized,” said a statement from the Judds, according to the Guardian.
Meanwhile, Wynonna continues on The Judds: Final Tour, with live concerts — featuring an all-star lineup ranging from Brandi Carlile to Tanya Tucker — booked through at least February 25.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free, confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
