Wynonna Judd revealed she knew “something wasn’t right” with her mother, Naomi, just weeks before her tragic 2022 suicide.
“She was very fragile,” Wynonna, 58, told Hoda Kotb on her “Making Space” podcast Monday of their final performance together at the CMT Awards on April 2, 2022.
“I knew something wasn’t right in terms of her being off a little bit, a bit nervous,” the Judds performer explained.
Wynonna also noted that as they harmonized on their hit song “Love Can Build a Bridge” she sensed worry in her mother’s demeanor.
“I think it’s because she hadn’t sung in a long time,” she said.
“And I think when our parents get older, their world gets smaller,” Wynonna continued. “And she was late (that night), and she is never late. I think she was nervous.”
The “No One Else on Earth” singer was also surprised by her mother’s unusual wig.
“The first thought in my head was, ‘No, I don’t want to hug her or comfort her. I want to pull her wig off,’” she recalled, adding, “because that was the dynamics of our relationship. It was tough and tender.”
Wynonna sensed that her mother wasn’t her usual self and says she “softened, which I think is God’s grace. I just kind of reached out and touched her hand, like, ‘I’m here. I got you. It’s OK.’”
“I’m glad I did that because that was the last time we performed together,” she added. “I’m glad I didn’t stay stuck in my perfectionism is my point, I guess.’”
Less than a month later, Naomi, 76, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The 76-year-old singer had long waged a public battle with depression and anxiety.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” Wynonna and her sister, actress Ashley Judd, announced in a statement following her death. “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.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.