Country Singer Naomi Judd Left Daughters Ashley And Wynonna Judd Out Of Her Will

Country singer Naomi Judd, one part of the duo The Judds, passed away by suicide in April 2022. However, her will obtained by NBC News confirms that the singer left both her daughters Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd out of her will.

Instead, Naomi named her husband and father of her children, Larry Strickland, the executor of her estate. The will states that Strickland has “full authority and discretion” to do what he sees fit with properties within the estate, including selling or leasing them, without the approval of any court or the “joinder of any beneficiary.” Strickland is also entitled to "reasonable compensation" for his services and any expenses, including attorney and accountant's fees, according to the document.

And in the case that Strickland is unable to take control of the estates, they will be handed over to Naomi's brother-in-law, Reginald Strickland, and Daniel Kris Wiatr as co-executors, the will states. Wiatr is president of Wiatr & Associates, a business management and accounting firm. It is not known if Wynonna or Ashley Judd are named elsewhere as beneficiaries of any of Naomi's assets. 

Naomi's will was prepared on Nov. 20, 2017. Witnesses who signed the document testified that she was “of sound mind, memory, and understanding and not under any restraint or in any respect incompetent to make a Last Will and Testament.” While the sisters were extremely uncomfortable going into detail about their mother's passing, they did so to ensure it didn’t get out on its own. 

“She used a weapon,” Ashley Judd told host Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. "My mother used a firearm, so that's the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand we're in a position that if we don't say it, someone else is going to.” Additionally, she also shared what it was like making the shocking discovery. “I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house visiting, as I am every day. Mom said to me, ‘Will you stay with me?’ and I said, ‘Of course, I will,’” she said. “I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there, and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her.”

Naomi was suffering from depression and was open about her mental health struggles including the depression that left her inert for two years. She passed away a day before she and her daughter Wynonna, of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds, were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was 76.

In an essay for NBC, she explained what it might have been like for her family to be with her. "My family—Ashley, Wynonna and Larry—were just beside themselves," she wrote. "When you see somebody you love who is suffering so deeply, and there’s nothing you can do, it’s almost as hard on you as it is on the person suffering, especially when you love each other as much as the four of us love each other."