It’s been a year and a half since the country music legend Naomi Judd tragically took her own life at the age of 76, but she is still missed by millions of fans to this day. In a new interview, Naomi’s daughter Wynonna Judd is opening up to reveal that she is still communicating with her mother in the wake of her suicide.
Wynonna Opens Up About Grieving Naomi
“I could make a lot of comments and make it sound like I’m so strong and I could say a bunch of crap,” Wynonna, 59, told Woman’s World. “But It’s been over a year, and I still feel today like I did the day I got the phone call to come to mother’s house.”
“The truth is, honestly, it was the music that got me through that time,” she continued. “I don’t know anything else that’s more powerful… other than my faith in God.”
After Naomi died, Wynonna made the difficult decision to honor the tour dates that the two of them had planned for the rest of 2022 to perform as their musical duo The Judds.
“The ‘Judd’s Tribute Tour’ saved my life because all that stuff happens to you, the pain, it just takes your breath away — it takes your ability to think and process anything because you are numb,” Wynonna explained. “But on stage, though I am still in this moment of grieving, this music is healing me.”
Wynonna Still Speaks To Naomi
While Naomi is no longer living, Wynonna still feels her presence, and she even communicates with her.
“I’d be on stage during soundcheck, and I would see [my mom] on the video behind me,” Wynonna recalled. “One of the first things I remember about the tribute tour was we had rehearsal and I heard Mom’s voice. I turned around and just out of knee jerk response, I said, ‘Mom, I’ve lost 20 pounds!’ Everybody cracked up because she’s wasn’t really there… but I’m still talking to her.”
Since Naomi’s suicide on April 30, 2022, Wynonna has learned many difficult lessons about grief.
“I’ve accepted that I cry a lot and it’s okay to cry and it’s okay to say no,” she revealed. “So many times, we feel like there’s a schedule in our grief and we say, ‘Okay it’s been six months, you’ve had enough time.’ But the grieving process takes a lot of time.”
“If I don’t cry and I don’t process my grief then I’m going to end up regretting it and that it’s going to show up somewhere in a relationship or a business deal,” she added. “I remind myself that it’s okay to feel and I say to myself, ‘Look, you are blessed. You have so much to be grateful for.’”
Wynonna has also been leaning on her strong Christian faith to get her through this difficult time.
“I’m constantly reminded by things here on the farm,” she explained, referring to God’s presence. “I go down to the lake and I just sit there and listen to the crickets and the frogs. I know that’s corny, but I’m reminded that the farm has four seasons, and it reminds me to look for the next season if I’m in a hard one.”
“When Mom died and it was spring, I kept thinking, ‘You know what? Summer is coming and I can put little Kaliyah [her granddaughter] in the pool,'” she said. “I just try to look to that next season, I know it will always come.”
Wynonna Looks To The Future – Joins ‘The Voice’
With her eyes on the future, Wynonna is currently working on a new album.
“It’s really painful, but it’s necessary to go through this kind of record,” she said. “This is a very personal record because of what happened with Mother and I’m writing songs that I’ve never said some of the things that I’m saying.”
“I’m somewhere between hell and hallelujah most days and I put that in a song called ‘Broken and Blessed,'” she continued. “The new music is coming, the tour is coming, I’m going to bring spandex back.”
People Magazine reported that Wynonna is also preparing to join “The Voice” tonight as a mega-mentor.
“I’m a Judd, not a judge. ?,” she wrote on Instagram. “It is SUCH a privilege to be the Mega Mentor on this season of @nbcthevoice!!!!”
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Related: Wynonna Judd Breaks Her Silence About Alleged Feud With Sister Ashley Judd Over Mother Naomi’s Will
The country music star Reba McEntire, who is currently a judge on “The Voice,” shared her excitement over Wynonna joining the show.
“I love her being on ‘The Voice,’” McEntire said in a video posted to Instagram. “We’re neighbors in Tennessee and we have to get out here in LA to see each other.”
Wynonna agreed, saying, “It’s one of the reasons I decided to do this show because you’re here and I wanted to work with you.”
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This has clearly been a very difficult time for Wynonna and her entire family. While we’re still devastated over Naomi’s death, we’re glad to see that Wynonna seems to be moving on with her life in a positive way in the wake of this tragedy.
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