Wynonna Judd Just Performed Another Gut-Wrenching Tribute To Her Late Mother Naomi
Wynonna Judd is honoring her late mom, Naomi Judd, with another touching performance following her sudden death in April. Wynonna and her sister, Ashley Judd, have both been candid about how devastated they are after Naomi decided to end her life at the age of 76, with Ashley in particular getting very candid in a devastating May "Good Morning America" interview in which she confirmed she was the one who found her mom's body.
"Our mother couldn't hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her, because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn't penetrate into her heart, and the lie the disease told her was so convincing," she explained. Ashley spoke about her mom's mental health issues, noting the lie was her not feeling good enough, didn't have people who loved her, or that she was not worthy of that love. "Her brain hurt. It physically hurt," the actor added.
Ever since then, tributes have flooded in for the late star, with both Wynonna and Ashley paying their respects by attending The Judds' Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony in May. Then came the former's rendition of "River of Time" for her mother during the "Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration." And now she's paid tribute to her beloved mother once again in a very public way.
How Wynonna Judd honored her mom during CMA Fest
Wynonna Judd hopped on stage to keep her mom Naomi Judd's legacy alive during CMA Fest in Nashville. The annual event brings out the biggest stars in country music, with nightly performances from the likes of Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Keith Urban at Nissan Stadium. And it was there where Wynonna teamed up with Carly Pearce to perform The Judds' "Why Not Me" on June 10.
Before bringing out Wynonna, Pearce addressed the crowd. "We lost one of our absolute pillars in country music earlier this year, Miss Naomi Judd. And as a girl growing up in Kentucky, I idolized The Judds and wanted to be like them," she told the thousands strong audience. Pearce shared that the first concert she ever attended was to see Wynonna, adding, "I've always loved all of the music that the Judds made and feel like it is such a representation of the best of country music." Wynonna walked out slowly and took in the crowd, before pointing to the sky during the performance, which may have been a nod to her late mom, as she shouted, "I'm country, don't you understand?"
Pearce told The Tennessean that she was well aware of how important bringing Wynonna out on stage would be, sharing, "You also want your heroes to kind of nod and pass the baton to you to be the next generation that they feel like, 'Country music is safe in your hands.'"
'The most amazing celebration of Judds music'
Wynonna Judd took to social media in the wake of her big performance with Carly Pearce to gush about how much being able to take to the stage during one of the biggest events in the country music calendar really meant to her. The star shared several shots from the stage on her Instagram account, captioning one set, "Friday night at Nissan Stadium was the most amazing celebration of Judds music. 70,000 people singing the words to "Why Not Me" back to us, WOW. Country music fans really ARE the most loyal!!!! I'm grateful to still have a seat at the table." In another Instagram upload, she shared her love for Pearce, writing, "I love @carlypearce and Carly loves me. The end." She then alluded to Pearce's comments about carrying the torch from her with the sweet hashtags "#carryingthetorch" and "#proud." But Wynonna wasn't done there. She also Instagram'd a solo shot from the stage and admitted she still couldn't get over the energy she feels from the audience so many years into her career.
And there will be plenty of opportunity for Wynonna to feel that energy, as she confirmed she'll still be heading out on The Judds' tour, despite mom Naomi Judd's sad death. "After a lot of thought, I'm gonna have to honor her, I'm gonna do this tour, because that's what you would want," she said during "Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration" in May (via Entertainment Tonight).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.