Wynonna And Ashley Judd's Relationship Takes A Turn After Mom Naomi's Death

In April, the famous Judd family faced some devastating news upon the death of matriarch Naomi Judd, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at her home in Tennessee. She left behind her husband Larry Strickland, and two daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd. Like her daughter Ashley in particular, Naomi dealt with severe depression, which she once described as "life-threatening." 

Naturally, Naomi's daughters have spent the past few months grieving and recovering from their mother's tragic and unexpected death. That night, they realased a joint statement on Twitter, in which they said they were "shattered." They explained, "We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory." The following day, when Wynonna and Naomi — posthumously — were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Wynonna said on their behalf, "I'm gonna make this fast because my heart's broken ... I mean, it's a very strange dynamic to be this broken and this blessed."

Now, months later, Wynonna has an unexpected update for fans on how her relationship with her sister has changed since their mother's suicide. 

Wynonna and Ashley Judd are more united than ever after their mother's death

On September 25, Naomi Judd's eldest daughter, Wynonna, spoke with CBS News, giving her first public interview since her mother's tragic suicide in April, amid what she described as a "new chapter." In the interview, Judd revealed that she was "incredibly angry," but did not go into specifics, only saying that the feeling would likely not go away "for a while." In addition, she said she still talks to her mother. "I feel her nudging me," Wynonna said. "And sometimes, I laugh. And sometimes, I say, 'I really miss you. Why aren't you here so we can argue?'"

When it comes to her sister Ashley, Wynonna revealed that their relationship has actually gotten stronger in recent months, in part because Naomi's suicide has, in a way, "united" them. "We both kind of look at each other like, 'I've got you,' right?" Wynonna explained. "And we say, 'Yeah.' We're so united right now, I think more so than we have been in a long time."

Back in July, Ashley gave a similar take on how Naomi's death affected the family, revealing in a podcast with grieving expert David Kessler that, "One of the things that I think we have done well as a family ...is we have really given each other the dignity and the allowance to grieve in our individual and respective ways. And yet we've been able to completely stick together."