Judd died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30th
Naomi Judd’s death records are going to remain sealed from the public record. NBC News reports that Judd’s family, husband of 33 years, Larry Strickland, and two daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, filed for the injunction in Williamson County, Tennessee earlier this week. The family has requested that the investigation into Judd’s suicide on April 30th remain private, including records that depict the elder Judd in a “graphic manner.”
The family claim photo and video evidence, along with other documents of Judd’s death that the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department gathered, would cause “emotional distress, pain and mental anguish” for “years to come” if released.
A judge granted the temporary order on Tuesday (Aug 2nd), one day after the filing with an evidentiary hearing set for September 12th. The court also ordered the county to alert parties who requested the documents under Tennessee’s open records law of its decision.
It was also revealed this week that Naomi left Wynonna and Ashley out of her will. Us Weekly reports that court documents name Strickland as the executor of her $25 million estate who shall have “full authority and discretion” over “any real property comprising an asset of my estate” without the “approval of any court, the joinder of any beneficiary, or the disclosure of the identity of any beneficiary of my estate.”
The late Judd’s will, filed in November 2017, states that Strickland would be entitled to receive “reasonable compensation” for his services, and that he would be paid or reimbursed for all “reasonable expenses, advances and disbursements, including attorney’s and accountant’s fees, made or incurred in the administration” of her estate. Neither Wynonna or Ashley were named, but a source tells the publication that they are listed as beneficiaries of her trust.
“It is likely they will inherit money through that once it is administered,” the insider states, noting that Strickland is also the “administrator and head of the Trust, so he really is in control of the whole estate.”
Wynonna and Ashley cited mental illness as the cause of her death. A few days after the announcement, new details emerged that it was suicide, which Ashley confirmed two weeks later when appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Naomi died one day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at its annual Medallion Ceremony. Despite their grievances, the family had asked that the ceremony still honor The Judds as members of Class of 2021 as planned.
The Judds, one of the most successful duos in country music history and pioneers for women in country music, made a triumphant return to the CMT Music Awards performing their iconic hit, “Love Can Build a Bridge” two weeks prior to her death. They had also announced their first tour in over a decade, The Final Tour, with nearly all dates selling out. Wynonna will honor her mother on the 11 city trek with special star-studded tribute featuring Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood, and others to be announced.
