Ashley Judd is sharing the story of her mother Naomi Judds suicide in hopes of helping others living with mental illness.

The Double Jeopardy actor appeared at the White House on Tuesday as part of the rollout for President Joe Biden s new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, where she spoke about the late country singers legacy along with her own history of trauma.

Joining United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, suicide prevention activist Shelby Rowe and musician Aloe Blacc on stage, Ashley Judd said, Im here because I am my beloved mothers daughter and on the day she died, which will be the two-year anniversary in one week, the disease of mental illness was lying to her.

And with great terror convinced her that it would never get better, she said of her mom, who died in April 2022 .

While Judd noted how her mother left country music better than she found it, she added, She also lived most of her life with an untreated and undiagnosed mental illness that lied to her and stole from her. It stole from our family, and she deserved better.