Wynonna and Ashley Judd unexpectedly lost their mother, Naomi Judd, due to battling mental illness, a day before the award-winning duo "The Judds" was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna shared that they recited Psalm 23 in their mother's final moment.
After her sister Ashley's brief speech, Wynonna addressed their mother's death at the induction ceremony last Sunday, the Tennessean reported.
She stated that it was "strangely dynamic" to be broken and blessed at the same time. Despite that her heart was broken, she would continue to sing. Amid the sadness, she kept her sense of humor as she said "I didn't prepare much to say because I assumed mama would be doing all the talking."
She kissed her mother "on the forehead and walked away" when their mother passed away at 2:20 p.m. She said, before their mother drew her last breath, they prayed Psalm 23 as a family. As she ended her speech by reciting the Psalm, the crowd in Nashville declared it with her.
Ashley also thanked everyone for the support of people to her family. She also said, "Your esteem for her and your regard for her penetrated her heart and it was your affection for her that did keep her going in the last years, and please come see Pop," referencing her father.
While their father, Larry Strickland said that their family was requesting privacy during this "heartbreaking time" and provided no additional information as of the moment.
On Saturday, Wynonna and Ashley broke the sad news that shocked the country. She wrote, "Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that, as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory."
She and her daughter Wynonna performed a 1990 song "Love Can Build a Bridge," just a couple of weeks before her sudden death.
Naomi was open and honest about her struggles with depression and suicidal ideation. In 2018, she told CBN News that her faith in Jesus sustained her through her darkest moment. She endured being sexually abused as a child until becoming a young adult.
She honestly stated that her depression has been in a bad shape. She said, "I'm certainly not ashamed to say that I was on some anti-depressant medications. I believe there are times in life when we have to raise our hand and say I need help. I found a good doctor."
She shared one moment when she took an unloaded gun to her temple. Her husband saw her and explained to her that humans were spiritual beings. He taught her that the difficulties people encounter all have spiritual answers.
"I have faith," Naomi said. "I believe in God and I've gotten through all this stuff because of those three things: my faith, my hope, and my belief in an eternal God."
