Ashley Judd, Wynonna Judd, and Larry Strickland continue to grieve the loss of the family matriarch, Naomi Judd.
On Tuesday, the 54-year-old actress opened up about how she, her sister, and her stepfather have processed their grief. She spoke to grief expert David Kessler for an interview on his podcast, “Healing with David Kessler.”
Judd stated that they have all “given each other the dignity and the allowance to grieve in [their] individual and respective ways. Even so, she noted that they have been able to “completely stick together” as a family.
People later quoted the “Divergent” actress, saying, “So we can be at the same supper table and recognize, ‘Oh, this one’s in anger, this one’s in denial, this one’s in bargaining, this one’s in acceptance, I’m in shock right now.’”
Ashley Judd also told David Kessler how she and her family have adjusted to life without Naomi Judd. She talked about their new routines, noting that they “do not try to control or redirect or dictate how the other one should be feeling at any particular moment.”
The “Double Jeopardy” star consequently shared that Larry Strickland, her stepfather, who she calls “pop,” comes to her home every morning. She pointed out that she is neighbors with her mother and pop, while her sister Wynonna “looks over the hill.”
Judd said she takes care of herself first upon waking. She does her “readings,” “writings,” and “meditation practice,” as well as connects with her partner. Afterward, she stated that her pop comes over and she makes him breakfast and coffee, adding that they “sit and grieve together.”
The actress described it as “some of the most sacred and holy experiences” she has had with Strickland. The magazine quoted her, saying, “...it’s just those times are so holy and we may be in slightly different places and yet we’re in community.”
Elsewhere in the engagement, Ashley Judd also revealed that she has come to “understand” Naomi Judd’s battle with mental illness months after her passing.
The “Someone Like You” star told David Kessler that she realized she “grew up with a mom who had an undiagnosed and untreated mental illness.”
Page Six then quoted her, explaining, “...I understand that and know that she was in pain and can today understand that she was absolutely doing the best she could, and if she could have done it differently, she would have.”
Naomi Judd passed away on April 30 at the age of 76 after battling depression for years. Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd were first to announce the tragic loss, stating that their mother had died from “the disease of mental illness.”