Tragedy brings families closer.<\/p>\n
As the Judds prepare to share their four-part docuseries,\u00a0The Judd Family: Truth Be Told<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0the family is sharing information about the\u00a0loss of their mother<\/strong>, Naomi, and the impact her death had on their family dynamics. Ashley and Wynonna Judd, along with other friends and family, are ready to shine a light on what happened when the curtain fell, revealing that life as The Judds was not all glitz and glamour.<\/p>\n The Judds were one of the most successful country duos, signing with RCA Records in 1983.\u00a0Naomi\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Wynonna Judd<\/strong>\u00a0released six records between 1984, kicking things off with their debut record,\u00a0Wynonna & Naomi,<\/em>\u00a0and ending their career with\u00a0Love Can Build a Bridge.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>The nation fell in love with the redheaded mother-daughter duo, and loved seeing Ashley, who is a successful actress on her own right, support them as they chased their dreams.<\/p>\n However, off the stage, the sisters were dealing with a lot, including their mother\u2019s mental health. Naomi Judd took her own life in 2022, with the\u00a0family sharing<\/strong>\u00a0that she struggled with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, eventually losing the fight to her mental illness.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>She was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Now the family is opening up about how the death of their matriarch brought them all closer together. In an exclusive interview with\u00a0PEOPLE Magazine<\/em>, Naomi\u2019s widower, Larry Strickland (79), said the tragedy brought Ashley and Wynonna closer.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were forced together. We all had to come together around this trauma, this tragic event. And it, of course, opened our eyes about how short life can be and how fleeting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Realizing that we lost a wife and mother, it forced us to be together, whether we wanted to or not.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n However, it was not just Ashley and Wynonna who grew closer, but it also drew the girls closer to their stepfather. Naomi married Larry Strickland in the spring of 1989, her second marriage, and she passed away six days before their 33rd wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n Strickland noted that he got closer to the girls after her death because it felt like the only piece of Naomi he had left.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that Naomi\u2019s gone and Wynonna and Ashley are the main part of her that\u2019s left, and it\u2019s what\u2019s still here for me to cling to and have in my life.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Family is family, regardless of whether you\u2019re blood-related, and it sounds like Strickland and the Judd girls have maintained that closeness, even with Naomi\u2019s absence. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll hear more about their family dynamics and how things have changed since her death in the docuseries, set to air over Mother\u2019s Day weekend.<\/p>\n The Judd Family: Truth Be Told<\/em>, directed by Alexandra Dean, airs on Lifetime May 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. ET\/PT.<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t checked out the trailer yet, do so while you\u2019re here. I feel like some bombs are going to be dropped during this series.<\/p>\n