Naomi Judd’s Husband Larry Strickland Recalls Her ‘Fragile’ Final Days in Emotional Tribute: She ‘Never Met a Stranger’

usmagazine.com:

A fitting tribute. Naomi Judd‘s husband, Larry Strickland, talked about the country singer’s legacy while recalling her final days in an emotional speech.“Naomi never met a stranger,” the singer, 76, said while honoring his late wife at CMT’s Naomi Judd: A River of Time memorial service on Sunday, May 15. “Much to my displeasure, she would start a conversation with anyone who made eye contact with her, and we would end up standing 10, 20, 30 minutes on a sidewalk while she talked to a complete stranger about their passions and their dog.”Strickland recalled that just days before Judd’s death by suicide on April 30, the “Love Can Build a Bridge” singer flew from Vienna, Austria to Nashville for the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Flying solo was an unusual thing for Judd to do, and he was concerned for her. “I was really scared to death about her flying alone all the way from Vienna back to Nashville ‘cause I knew how fragile she was,” he explained. “Well, she made the flight home without any problem.”Naomi’s youngest daughter, Ashley Judd, confirmed that the country icon died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just one day before she and daughter Wynonna Judd were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. “I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” the Double Jeopardy star, 54, said during the emotional ceremony on May 1.The Where the Heart Is actress opened up about her late mother’s lifelong battle with mental illness in a powerful interview. “When we’re talking about mental illness, it’s very important to be clear and make the distinction between our loved one and the disease.