Naomi Judd’s family is looking back on her devastating death three years later.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, her widower Larry Strickland says that Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd were brought together after Naomi died by suicide at the age of 76 on April 30, 2022.
“They were forced together,” Strickland, 79, says. “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.”
Strickland added: “Realizing that we lost a wife and mother, it forced us to be together, whether we wanted to or not.”
dewey nicks/trunk archive
Wynonna, Ashley and Naomi Judd in 1993
Related: The Judd Sisters Share Family Secrets in New Lifetime Documentary: ‘A Blessing and A Burden’ (Exclusive)
Strickland also became “closer” with the Double Jeopardy star, 57, and the “I Saw the Light” singer, 60, after Naomi’s death.
“It just really drove me closer to them because they’re what’s left of [Naomi]” he said.
Added Strickland: “We were close, I think, always in the early years and later years, but the fact that Naomi’s gone and Wynonna and Ashley are the main part of her that’s left, and it’s what’s still here for me to cling to and have in my life.”
Strickland opened up to PEOPLE ahead of the release of a new docuseries from Lifetime, The Judd Family: Truth Be Told (airing May 10 and 11). For the show, he, Ashley and Wynonna give unprecedented access and insight into their lives and their relationship with Naomi.
The four-part series, set to be released on Mother’s Day weekend, features the Judd sisters detailing their upbringing and stardom.
Per a press release, the docuseries will explore “the complex mother-daughter dynamics and intergenerational trauma as seen through the eyes of The Judd Family.”
The Judds/Supplied by Lifetime
Wynonna, Naomi and Ashley Judd
In addition to Strickland, Ashley and Wynonna, close family members will also share their stories.
Also featured will be home videos and unreleased songs and audio.
“From Naomi’s beginnings in Kentucky as a young teen mom, then known as Dianna, struggling to survive with her young daughters, the doc illustrates how the famous country music mother-daughter duo of Naomi and Wynonna Judd came to be and where Ashley stood at the height of Naomi and Wynonna’s fame,” the release said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty
Naomi and Wynonna Judd in May 1988
Related: Larry Strickland on Late Wife Naomi Judd’s Final Months: ‘It Was a Very Chaotic, Hectic Time’
The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, directed by Alexandra Dean, airs on Lifetime May 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
Read the original article on People
