During the CMT’s Naomi Judd: A River of Time special, Larry Strickland recalled those “Fragile” final days with his late wife Naomi Judd. He shared some lasting legacy of his wife alongside daughters Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd.
In this memorial special of the country superstar, Larry opened up about some insight into his wife who died by suicide at the age of 76. He said, “Naomi never met a stranger. Much to my displeasure, she would start a conversation with anyone who made eye contact with her, and we would end up standing for 10, 20, and 30 minutes on a sidewalk while she talked to a complete stranger about their passions and their dog.”
At that time, the country singer traveled to Nashville solo which was out of the ordinary. She went there to attend the Country Music Hall of Fame Ceremony. But she returned home ahead of her induction. Larry recalled, “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. Well, she made the flight home without any problem.”
Strickland also shared a stranger’s note that he received through email, “It’s small comfort, I’m sure, but my life seems a lot richer after meeting your wife, however briefly. 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.”
Ashley also opened up about her mom’s sudden death, “When we’re talking about mental illness, it’s very important to be clear and make the distinction between our loved one and the disease,” She also shared, “It’s very real…it lies, its savage, and you know, our mother, couldn’t hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. I mean, that is the level of the catastrophe of what was going on inside of her because the barrier between—the regard in which they held her couldn’t penetrate her heart and the lie the disease told her was so convincing.”