'I had a re-experience of the shock': Ashley Judd reveals lingering trauma from mother Naomi's suicide

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ashley Judd has opened up about the after-effects she faced after the suicide of her mother, Naomi Judd.

Ashley was the first one to find the country music singer dead who shot herself in the head in April 2022.

Ashley Judd says ‘My grief was in lockstep with trauma’

In an episode of ‘All There Is with Anderson Cooper’ on Wednesday, January 10, she revealed, “My mother’s death was traumatic and unexpected because it was death by suicide, and I found her.”

The actress further stated, “And, so, it had this calamitous dynamic, my grief was in lockstep with trauma," as per OK! Magazine.

“I think that the death of a parent is something for which we, at least conceptually, have some kind of preparation.”

“I also knew that she was walking with mental illness and that her brain hurt and that she was suffering,” the 55-year-old asserted.

Naomi Judd was suffering from depression

Naomi killed herself on April 30, 2022, at her house in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee.

At the time, reports suggested that she had battled "significant" anxiety and depression as well as struggled with bipolar disorder.

Moreover, the autopsy report indicated that she "sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to Williamson Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival."

“Per family, the decedent has had prior suicidal ideations and recent life stressors. A weapon and a note with suicidal connotations were found near the decedent at the scene,” it added.

Ashley Judd remembers happy memories with mother Naomi Judd

Meanwhile, Ashley opened up about the challenges she faced following her mother's death. She shared with Cooper, "I actually went through a re-experience of the shock, which is the initial stage of grief, a year after my mama passed away."

The ‘Kiss the Girls’ star went on to say, “You know, I would just be doing something, washing the dishes, writing on my second book, and this wave of shock would overcome me as if I had just walked in the room again.”

Yet, Ashley hasn't overlooked her renowned mother's accomplishments and the way she triumphed over her struggles throughout the years.

She stated, “Invariably, she got up. No matter how sick she was. And she would light up. And she would come to the back door and open it. And she would exclaim, ‘There’s my darling, there’s my girl, there’s my baby!’ And that’s how I see my mom.”