Wynonna Judd Admits She Feels 'Incredibly Angry' Following the Death of Mother Naomi Judd
The 'Love Can Build a Bridge' singer sat down for her first interview since her mother's death in April.
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Wynonna Judd is speaking out for the first time since the death of her mother, and music partner, Naomi Judd in April. During a sit down with CBS Sunday Morning, the 58-year-old country music superstar revealed that she still feels anger following the loss of her mother.
“Incredibly angry,” she said. Adding that she doesn’t think that the feeling will pass “not for a while.”
Wynonna revealed that her anger stems from not being able to help her mother -- prior to her taking her life.
“I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it,” she said.
“Because she had had episodes before and she got better. And that’s what I live in is like, was there anything I should have looked for? Or should I have known I didn’t?”
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Naomi died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her Tennessee home on April 30. She was 76. Wynonna said that she made it to the house to see her mother, after her sister Ashley discovered her body.
“I got the call, and I went over, and I saw her,” she shared about the moments following her mother’s death.
“And I said goodbye to her in the hospital and I closed her eyes, and I kissed her forehead. And that was that. And next thing I know I'm sitting here on the side porch. And I'm just trying to figure out what’s next.”
Wynonna admitted that although her mother is gone, she still feels her presence.
“I feel her nudging me and sometimes,” she said. “I laugh and sometimes I say ‘I really miss you, why aren’t you here so we can argue?’”
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Wynonna and Naomi -- who went by The Judds onstage -- had a tumultuous relationship at times.
“We were incredibly close, and then she’d get mad at me... and we’d not get along and be disconnected and then we’d come back together and hug and cry,” she said.
“It was incredibly complicated. We tried really hard and those are the tears, because I know that we tried, and we did pretty damn good. Most of the time.”
Now, the “Love Can Build a Bridge’ singer shared that all of those past feelings are gone -- and it’s all about the happier memories.
“I think when you lose your mother a lot of that crap goes away,” she said. “’Cause it doesn't matter anymore. It just doesn’t.”
She continued, “She told me one time, she took my hand and she said, ‘My life is better because of you.’ Those are the memories that are starting to come through more and more.”
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As she prepares to take the stage on the star-studded The Judds farewell tour, Wynonna said that she is hitting the road, because she got her “marching orders” from her mother, but it will be tough.
“As I walk out on stage that first night, I'll probably say something like “It’s not supposed to be like this.’ because it’s not, right?,” she said.
“It’s supposed to be the two of us. And I'm going to be angry because she’s not there.”
However, Wynonna knows that her music could help reach someone who, like her mother, really needs to hear it.
“I wanna come out on stage and sing from my toenails, a song that helps someone out in that audience,” she said about the tour.
“It’s about me singing to help someone feel better. That's always in my spirit.”
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