Wynonna Judd and Cactus Moser tied the knot more than a decade ago. He is the Country Music Hall of Famer’s third husband. It seems that the old adage “Third time’s the charm,” is true for Judd. They have been through soaring highs and devastating lows and are still going strong after everything they’ve weathered.
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Before marrying Judd, Moser was a session musician in Los Angeles. He became the drummer for Highway 101 in 1986. After several lineup changes, the band split permanently in 2010.
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Judd and Moser said their vows in June of 2012 after he proposed on Christmas Eve in 2011. According to an interview with US Weekly, it was a small affair. Only the couple and their children attended the ceremony. “I didn’t want it to be about anyone but Cactus and me,” Judd told the publication. “To me, at the end of the day, it’s the children, Cactus, and me. I was so concerned about making this feel special for them, everything fell away.”
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The couple also talked about their relationship in the documentary Wynonna Judd: From Hell to Hallelujah. “Marrying Cactus was one of the greatest days of my life because I’ve never trusted someone and loved someone so simultaneously like I love Cactus,” Judd said in the film.
Hard Times Came Early for Wynonna Judd and Cactus Moser
The couple had two months of wedded bliss before they saw their first major crisis. Moser and Judd were riding motorcycles when he hit an oncoming vehicle. “He’s just laying there and I hear nothing,” Judd recalled. Then, she heard “the most beautiful sound” when Moser began fighting to breathe. Ultimately, Moser survived the accident. However, doctors had to amputate his left leg above the knee.
Moser spoke about it in the documentary. “I lived through the night which was a miraculous story,” he said. “Two months into getting married, she had to become a nurse. There’s a lot she had to do. It’s horrid. That’s kind of our thing—even in the worst of times, we can figure out how to get past it and find a happy place.
Last year, the couple had to weather another storm. Just one day before The Judds entered the Country Music Hall of Fame, Naomi Judd died by suicide. Moser supported Judd through the loss of her mother. In the documentary, Judd said Moser helped her deal with her grief. Additionally, he gave her the strength to continue with The Judd’s Final Tour which the duo was slated to embark on shortly after Naomi’s passing.
The couple have five children. Judd had Elijah and Grace with her ex-husband Arch Kelley III. Moser had three children from a previous relationship—Sunshine, Cal, and Wyatt.
Featured Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for CMT
