Naomi Judd, the matriarch of the country music duet the Judds, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday, a day prior to her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, according to her family.
Judd, 76, suffered from mental illness, a sickness that tells its sufferers "you are not loved, you are not adequate, and you are not worthy," her daughter Ashley Judd said in an ABC interview aired on "Good Morning America."
Naomi's husband detailed his "final moments" with the iconic singer, describing the days leading up to her passing as both unremarkable and unsettling.
Larry Strickland, the deceased husband of Naomi Judd, recounted how scared he was of her taking a journey alone because he knew she was in a "fragile" state.
The Grammy winner, who passed away on April 30, flew alone from Austria to Nashville for the induction ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The event occurred one day after her passing.
Strickland, 76, revealed during CMT's "Naomi Judd: A River of Time" program on Sunday, "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."
It's not clear by what he meant by fragile though - whether he knew of her mental state at the time or just meant it in the general sense, since Naomi was already 76.
The resident of North Carolina wrote that Judd arrived in Tennessee "without incident" and relayed a message from a stranger the Judds member met during the flight. It was quite touching.
"It's a small comfort, I'm sure, but my life seems a lot richer after meeting your wife, however briefly," the email read.
"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. Rest assured she loved you and had no qualms about telling me, a stranger on a plane, that was so," the email sender added.
Strickland, who became emotional upon reading the letter, remarked that the note gave him "very enormous pleasure and solace."
Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd, the songwriter's children, also honored their late mother during the Ryman Auditorium event.
Sunday, Wynonna, age 57, referred to her mother as a "everywoman" and stated, "Perhaps this is why everyone felt like they knew her."
Additionally, the country singer confirmed her intention to continue the eleven-date national tour she had previously planned with Naomi.
"I'm going to have to honor her and do this tour. I'm just going to have to," Wynonna said. "The show must go on."
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