The country music world is in mourning this week after the legendary singer Naomi Judd passed away on Saturday at the age of 76, with her daughters Wynonna and Ashley saying that they lost her “to the disease of mental illness.”
Last night, just one day after Naomi’s passing, Wynonna and Ashley broke down in tears as she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Rest In Peace, Naomi Judd. 🎤 pic.twitter.com/vMb9DoQG59
— Eleven Films (@ElevenFilms) April 30, 2022
‘My Mama Loved You So Much’
The ceremony had been scheduled prior to Naomi’s passing, and Wynonna and Ashley made the decision to appear at it even after their mother’s death.
“My mama loved you so much,” an emotional Ashley told the crowd, according to Daily Mail. “And I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today.”
Related: Ashley Judd Shares Harrowing Account Of Her Gruesome Injury And 55-Hour Rescue In Africa
“Your esteem for her and your regard for her really penetrated her heart and it was your affection for her that did keep her going in the last years[.]” the actress added. “While this is so much about The Judds as a duo I want to take a moment to recognize my sister, a GOAT.”
GOAT is an acronym that is known to stand for “greatest of all time.” Wynonna was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with her mother and Eddie Bayers, Ray Charles, and Pete Drake.
‘I Will Continue To Sing’
“Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing,” Wynonna said. “I didn’t prepare much to say, because I assumed mama would be doing all the talking. Newspapers don’t get a lot right these days but when they said you were Elvis-like, they got it.”
Related: Wynonna Judd’s Daughter SENTENCED
The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter, just a day after Naomi Judd died unexpectedly at age 76.
“Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing,” Wynonna Judd said. https://t.co/YPMV6zXIol pic.twitter.com/rP3Ytv7MEV
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 2, 2022
Naomi Openly Considered Suicide
Naomi had previously admitted to considering suicide, saying in 2017 that she thought about killing herself after the Judds stopped touring.
“[Fans] see me in rhinestones, you know, with glitter in my hair, that really is who I am,” she said. “But then I would come home and not leave the house for three weeks, and not get out of my pajamas, and not practice normal hygiene. It was really bad.”
“When I came off the tour I went into this deep, dark absolutely terrifying hole and I couldn’t get out,” Naomi added at the time. “I spent two years on my couch.”
https://twitter.com/MyBirdieSaid/status/1520532586241486850
‘Dark Hole Of Depression’
Naomi went on to say that she even went so far as to scout out a bridge near her family farm that she could jump from.
“That’s how bad it can get,” she said. “It’s hard to describe. You go down in this deep, dark hole of depression and you don’t think that there’s another minute.”
Naomi was a truly incredible woman who will be missed by millions. Please keep Wynonna, Ashley, and the rest of her family in your prayers during this excruciatingly difficult time.