Introduction
Disturbing Details Revealed in Naomi Judd’s Autopsy Report
A heartbreaking chapter in country music history was unearthed recently as Naomi Judd’s official autopsy report shed light on her death on April 30, 2022. The 76-year-old singer — one half of the legendary duo The Judds — tragically took her own life, and the details are as painful as they are profound.
The Nashville medical examiner classified her death as a suicide. Naomi sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while at her Tennessee residence, where she was discovered unresponsive by family around 10:57 a.m. She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Williamson Medical Center.
A 13-page report confirms that near her body, investigators found a firearm and a note described as having “suicidal connotations” Toxicology results revealed prescription medications for depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, insomnia, Parkinson’s, and seizures already in her system at the time of death ression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder in her memoir River of Time and in interviews . Yet, behind her fame and fierce spirit, she was battling an “unfair foe,” as her family later characterized it.
Her elder daughter, Ashley Judd, spoke in a deeply emotional interview with Good Morning America, explaining that she found her mother at home and urged transparency about the firearm’s role to avoid speculation . The family has since petitioned to seal the investigative records—video, audio, and images—citing concerns over the emotional trauma that public exposure would bring.
The timing of her death only deepened the tragedy: it occurred just one day before the duo she shared with Wynonna Judd was to be officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame .
As the autopsy brings new revelations, it reinforces the urgency of mental health awareness. Naomi’s legacy as a chart-topping musician is not the sole inheritance she leaves behind—it’s also her courage to speak about mental health struggles, even amid her profound pain.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental illness, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (in the U.S.) or your local crisis line immediately. You are not alone—and help is available.