The CNN anchor lost his brother by suicide in 1988, while Judd's mom died by suicide in 2022.
Anderson Cooper and Ashley Judd are bonding over a devastating topic. The actress appeared on the latest episode of CNN Audio's All There Is with Anderson Cooper podcast, and discussed her mother, Naomi Judd's, death by suicide in April 2022. It's a topic Anderson knows all too well, as his brother, Carter Cooper, died by suicide in 1988.
"My mother's death was traumatic and unexpected, because it was death by suicide and I found her," Ashley told Anderson. "My grief was in lockstep with trauma because of the manner of her death and the fact that I found her. What I needed to do first was vomit."
"I held my mother as she was dying... and there was blood and I just needed to process the fact that I was with my mother's blood," she continued. "I'm so glad that I was there, because even when I walked in that room and I saw that she had harmed herself, the first thing out of my mouth was, 'Mama, I see how much you've been suffering and it's OK. It is OK to go. It's OK to go. I am here. It is OK to let go. I love you. Go see your daddy. Go see Papa Judd. Go be with your people.'"
Ashley noted that her mom heard her words, noting, "I just got in the bed with her and held her and talked to her and said, 'Let it all go. Be free. All was forgiven long ago. All was forgiven long ago. Leave it all here. Take nothing with you. Just be free.' I did that for, I don't know what it was, 14, 15 minutes, just held her."
"It's an extraordinary blessing that you were able to do that," Anderson told Ashley, a sentiment with which she agreed, saying, "I'm so thankful I was there."
Next, Anderson began to discuss his brother's death, but had trouble doing so as he emotionally got choked up.
"I'm here, Anderson," Ashley told him. He nodded in thanks and took a moment before continuing his thought.
"One of the things I have found so hard about losing my brother to suicide was I get stuck in how his life ended, the violence of it -- he killed himself in front of my mom... And my shock over it and the realization that I didn't really know him," he said. "I'm wondering if the manner of your mom's death made you question how much you knew her?"
"Thank you so much for sharing that. All of our stories are sacred and I really honor the place in you that that's coming from," Ashley responded. "I think we all deserve to be remembered for how we lived, and how we died is simply part of a bigger story."
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
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