Ashley Judd shares 'grief and trauma' after mom Naomi's suicide

May 12 (UPI) -- Ashley Judd says she's experienced "grief and trauma" since her mom Naomi Judd's suicide.

The 54-year-old actress discussed her mother's death in an emotional interview with Diane Sawyer that aired during Thursday's episode of Good Morning America.

Naomi Judd died at age 76 on April 30, one day before she was to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. At the time, Ashley Judd and her sister Wynonna Judd attributed Naomi Judd's death to mental illness.

On GMA, Ashley Judd confirmed Naomi Judd died by suicide and said she was the one to discover her mom.

"I have both grief and trauma from discovering her," Ashley Judd said.

"I will share with you that she used a weapon; my mother used a firearm," she disclosed. "So that's the piece of information we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we're in a position that if we don't say it, someone else is going to."

Naomi Judd discussed her battle with severe, "treatment-resistant" depression in an interview with Robin Roberts in 2016.

Ashley Judd, who has been open about her own struggle with depression, discussed the "savage" nature of mental illness Thursday on GMA.

"When we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease," Ashley Judd said.

"And my mother, our mother, couldn't hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. I mean, that is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her. Because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn't penetrate into her heart and the lie that the disease told her was so convincing," she added.

Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd attended Naomi Judd's posthumous Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony last week, where Wynonna Judd was also honored. The sisters also paid tribute to their mom on social media Sunday in honor of Mother's Day.