Wynonna Judd Opens Up About Moving Forward After The Tragic Loss Of Her Mother, Naomi: “There Is Life After Death”

An inspiring story as a result of immense pain and tragedy.

Of course, Wynonna Judd has been through a LOT in her personal life over the years, notably with her mother, Naomi, the other half of legendary country dup The Judds, who sadly died by suicide in April of 2022. The Judds were one of the most successful country duos of all time, signing with RCA Records in 1983. Naomi and Wynonna Judd released six records between 1984, kicking things off with their debut record, Wynonna & Naomi, and ending their career with Love Can Build a Bridge. 

Both were impressive vocalists with a ton of talent that meshed perfectly with the natural chemistry of being mother and daughter. While they certainly had their issues over the years, Wynonna loved her mother deeply and was obviously devastated when she passed away.

But she’s managed to turn that pain into something beautiful and it hasn’t slowed down her career much at all. In fact, Wynonna has been out on the road performing her first two solo albums for fans who have been with her from the start. In an interview with Clint Black on his Circle Network show Talking in Circles with Clint Black, she got very honest about how hard it has been and why she’s chosen to view it as a lesson, rather than letting it hold her back and play the victim (which I think she has every right to do because I can’t imagine how traumatic the last several years have been):

“So this tour is me going through the first two albums. And I know I’m gonna look at the audience, and I’m going to see some mother who now has two kids, maybe even a grandchild, who was there in 1992-ish, that’s when it came out. She’ll be sitting in the audience and I’ll be singing it now, so I’m going through the record, each song as it was on the record.

And I’m doing two albums in one night which will be a celebration of just how far I’ve come, that I got through it. I’m better not bitter for all the crap that’s happened to me. That’s the key. I think you have to get to a place in your life where you realize you’re not a victim. And 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.

That I could still sing, and so I went on tour, because I was fans bought the tickets and they were there for me, and I thought I’m not gonna stay home and complain. I’m gonna go to work.”

Wynonna showed up at her Country Music Hall of Fame induction the day after her mother passed, if that gives you any indication of what an incredibly strong woman she is, and of course, there are times that the grief catches up to her, like on holidays her mom loved in Halloween and Christmas:

“We live on the farm together. Ashley lives here in the house I gave her, I live in the middle, and and mom‘s over here. So I was literally, you know, just a short side-by-side drive. and 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.

Just like with Christmas, her whole thing was Christmas and Halloween. And she did all the parties, and she was the party girl. and I’m shy quiet and I have the 40 animals and I’m very solid. She’s the outgoing one, she’s extrovert I’m an omnivore which is both I can do this or I’m just in my farm clothes.”

She also talked about the “helpless” feeling that comes along with losing a parent in that way (Clint Black also lost his father to suicide), and how she never could’ve imagined how much pain her mother was in and how she appeared so “okay” on the outside while she was really “crumbling” on the inside. Wynonna has managed to find hope, though, in raising her granddaughter which has given her a very different perspective on life.

She has found new purpose in her music and tour, and now sees it as an opportunity to encourage others and bring awareness to what her mom was going to so someone else might feel less alone:

“But now that she’s gone, I didn’t know what to do Clint. You know you told me that your father committed suicide, so we have that in common. And what do you do with that kind of crap that happens to you? You feel so helpless, and there’s a mystery there as to why. So I had to go through that like you did, right? Well you kind of had more of a why, I think, than I do.

Because 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.

And this past year, I’ve learned so much about myself, and now that I’m with my grand baby 24/7, 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.”

It’s simply inspiring the way Wynonna speaks so publicly about such a tragic event in her life, and her attitude and outlook on it is admirable, to say the least. I’m sure she still hurts a lot, every day, but she’s slowly picked up the pieces and continued touring and doing what she loves, which I’m sure helps her feel close to her mom, as well.

You can watch the interview here, and I highly recommend it because Wynonna is an impressive woman with a lot of great insight and an amazing story:

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741 if you or someone you know is considering suicide.The post Wynonna Judd Opens Up About Moving Forward After The Tragic Loss Of Her Mother, Naomi: “There Is Life After Death” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.