Back in April 2022, Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi, took the stage at the CMT Awards to celebrate the legacy of The Judds. Little did fans know, that would be the last time The Judds performed as Naomi took her own life not long after. And over the last three years, Wynonna and the Judd family worked through the tragic loss. Still navigating her feelings towards her mother’s passing, Wynonna recently discussed how hard it was to move forward.
Appearing on Talking in Circles with Clint Black, Wynonna revealed why she decided to go on tour. Looking forward to celebrating her contributions to music, the singer insisted, “All this crap has happened to me with Mom committing suicide last year, I had a choice to make. I can either let that define me, or give me permission to show everybody and myself that I could do it, even in spite of the hellish time period that I went through.” She added, “I thought I’m not gonna stay home and complain. I’m gonna go to work.”
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With the Judd family all living on a farm together, the loss of Naomi could be felt over every acre. And at the time, Wynonna fought the grieving process. “When she left, I was so devastated, I thought, I don’t know if I’m gonna make it through this. I’m so lost. Because we take so much for granted, don’t we? Until it’s gone, and when it’s gone, it’s like oh my God.”
Wynonna Judd Hoped To Help Others
At the time of Naomi’s passing, Wynonna explained how those around her thought she was okay. That was until it was too late. “Everybody thought she was okay, everybody thought everything’s okay and it’s not okay. You don’t know what’s going on, I was on tour and distracted. You don’t know how bad it was, and I really didn’t, because she’s such a talker and a teacher to everybody else. She was a light to everybody else, but inside, she was crumbling and it’s just a weird time.”
Thankfully, Wynonna was completely surrounded by love and family. While the loss of her mother would always hurt, the singer hoped to use the tragedy to help others. “I’m learning that there is life after death and if I can go out on this tour, this is heavy, and I can go out onstage and I can help someone decide to stay instead of leaving, then I’ve done my job. And I just know that what we’re going through after our parents death is, I’m now an orphan I have to decide whether the cup is half full or half empty.”
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)