A surprising and emotional moment was revealed in the Lifetime docuseries The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, as Larry Strickland, husband of late country music legend Naomi Judd, confirmed a dramatic story from their past—Naomi once shot a gun at him after learning he had been unfaithful.
The story sounds like something straight out of a country song, but as Strickland admitted on camera, “It really happened.”
A Real-Life Country Drama
During the first episode of the series, a scene from the movie Love Can Build a Bridge—based on Naomi Judd’s 1993 memoir—shows the character of Naomi shooting at her husband after catching him cheating.
After watching that scene, Strickland confirmed it was true.
“Well, it really happened. That’s all I can say. That’s all I’m gonna say,” he said.
The moment highlights how passionate and intense their relationship was. Naomi herself once wrote about how deeply they loved each other but also how she often felt abandoned because he was rarely home.
What Triggered the Incident?
The story takes place in the 1980s, when a woman unexpectedly called Naomi at home, saying she “loved and missed” Strickland. When he came back, Naomi was already tearing up photos, throwing his belongings into trash bags, and clearly heartbroken.
Their relationship, although troubled, lasted many years. The couple met in 1979, married in 1989, and remained together for 33 years until Naomi’s death in 2022.
Naomi Judd’s Tragic Death and Deep Emotional Struggles
Naomi Judd died by suicide in April 2022 at the age of 76. Her daughter Wynonna Judd opened up in the same docuseries about her mother’s deep emotional pain and “generational trauma”.
“One of the reasons I have decided that Mom left this world is because of trauma,” Wynonna shared. “Family stuff that never got healed.”
She explained that Naomi grew up with a critical mother, dealt with the loss of her younger brother to Hodgkin lymphoma, and became a teen mom. All these experiences deeply affected her mental health.
A Complicated Mother-Daughter Bond
Wynonna also described her relationship with Naomi as both a blessing and a burden.
“I’ve loved her more than I’ve loved myself,” she said. “Mother was in love with me and terrified of me because I represented what she didn’t know and couldn’t control.”
Wynonna explained that in their relationship, she often played the role of the adult, feeling responsible for her mother’s happiness, even when she was just a child.