The family of country music legend Naomi Judd was granted a court order on Tuesday, August 2, to keep her death records sealed from the public record, according to court documents.
Judd's husband, Larry Strickland, and her two daughters, Ashley and Wynonna, filed for injunctive relief in Williamson County, Tennessee, to protect the privacy of their family on Monday, according to NBC News. The filing requests that the investigation into the singer's suicide remain private, including records that depict Judd in a graphic manner.
The sheriff's office who responded to Judd's death back in April collected video and photo evidence, in addition to other documents, that if released to the public would cause mental anguish, emotional distress, and pain.
Evidentiary hearing regarding Judd's records scheduled for September 12
The filing said that the release of these records would continue to cause the entire family pain for years to come. A temporary order for relief was granted on Tuesday, with an evidentiary hearing scheduled for September 12.
The court ordered Williamson County to alert anyone who requested documents connected to Judd's death under the state of Tennessee's open records law of the decision. Judd's daughters announced on April 30 that they lost their mom to the disease of mental illness. Hollywood star Ashley Judd later revealed the method in which her mother died by suicide.
She told "Good Morning America" in an interview that her mother used a firearm. She added that is the piece of information that they are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand they are in a position that if they don't say it, someone else is going to.
Naomi died a day before she and her daughter Wynonna, were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, as part of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds. The music star was 76 when she died.
Naomi battled depression over the years
Naomi had previously been outspoken regarding her battle with depression over the years. She said in an essay back in 2017 that the mental illness left her inert for two years. She explained that her family were just beside themselves, writing that when you see somebody you love who is suffering so deeply, and there is nothing you can do, it is almost as hard on you as it is on the person suffering, especially when you love each other as much as the four of them love each other.
The country star and her daughter's band, known as The Judds, won nine CMAs, eight Billboard Music Awards, five Grammys, and sold over 20 million records throughout their illustrious music career.
Naomi grabbed the headlines recently with her decision to name husband Larry as the executor of her will without any mention of her daughters. It was a decision that reportedly is not sitting right with her eldest child Wynonna, according to the Daily Mail.
