During a Wednesday episode of CNN's "All There Is With Anderson Cooper" podcast, Ashley Judd and the host both shared personal stories about grief.
Judd spoke candidly about the recent loss of her mother, Naomi Judd, who died in 2022 and how the death was “traumatic and unexpected because it was death by suicide, and I found her.” However, she also said she was "so glad" she had been present. "Even when I walked in that room and I saw that she had harmed herself, the first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Momma, I see how much you've been suffering and it is OK . . . I am here, and it is OK to let go.' "
Cooper shared his own story of familial loss. His brother Carter Cooper took his own life at age 23 in 1988. “One of the things I have found so hard about losing my brother to suicide was, I get stuck in how his life ended and the violence of it,” Cooper said.
“I think we all deserve to be remembered for how we lived, and how we died is simply part of a bigger story," said Judd. She also advised listeners to "pay attention" to thoughts and feelings related to their grief. "Consider it a nudge, perhaps from your loved one," she said.
If you are in need of help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Hours of operation are 24/7 and it's confidential.
