Ashley Judd Shares Heartwrenching Goodbye To Late Mother, Naomi Judd: ‘Be Free’
Ashley Judd paid tribute to her late mother, Naomi Judd, with a heartfelt goodbye message on social media following her…
Wynonna and Ashley Judd; Photos via Instagram, Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame
Ashley Judd paid tribute to her late mother, Naomi Judd, with a heartfelt goodbye message on social media following her tragic death.
On Monday evening (May 2), Ashley took to Instagram to share a series of photos from The Judds’ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She also shared snapshots of cherished family memories and expressed her gratitude for the support she’s received since her mother’s death.
“Speechless,” she captioned the post. “In beloved community with my big sister, gazing at the new bronze plaque inducting @thejuddsofficial @wynonnajudd into the @officialcmhof – listening to #grandpa, my altar to mama, with her silhouette from when she was 11, my bereft Pop @larrystrickland7 singing How Great Thou Art for me on my sleeping Porch (we are singing hymns this evening).”
She continued, “Your outpouring is reaching me. Thank you for every thought, prayer, message, text, email, post, expression. We each are alone and we are in fellowship, broken and held, protected from nothing and sustained in everything. It’s the beginning of an old story, life and death, loss and life.”
Her post concluded with a message for her mom: “Be free, my beautiful mother. Be free.”
On Sunday (May 1), Ashley was in attendance at the CMA Theater to address the invitation-only audience, while joining her sister, Wynonna, to accept the high honor.
“First, I would like to congratulate tonight’s other inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame and salute your excellence,” Ashley said of The Judds’ fellow inductees Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers, and Pete Drake.
“My mama loved you so much and she appreciated your love for her, and I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” Ashley emotionally told the crowd.
“Your esteem for you and your regard for her really penetrated her heart and it was your affection for her that did keep her going in these last years. And please come see pop, please do come see him,” Ashley continued. “And while this is so much about The Judds as a duo, I wanted to take a moment to recognize my sister, a G.O.A.T.”
Wynonna then accepted the honor of The Judds’ Country Music Hall of Fame induction on behalf of her late mother, who was the other half of the legendary country duo.
During the Medallion ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Wynonna admitted she was going to keep her speech brief and said that she was feeling a range of emotions.
“I didn’t prepare anything tonight because I knew mom would probably talk the most,” Wynonna tearfully said. “I’m gonna make this fast, because my heart’s broken, and I feel so blessed. It’s a very strange dynamic, to be this broken and this blessed.”
“You all know that I’m all about the songs. The music. I could give a rip, really, about the rest, because it all comes and goes,” Wynonna explained, adding, “Though my heart’s broken, I will continue to sing, because that’s what we do.”
Ashley and Wynonna concluded their emotional induction by reciting Psalm 23 as they bid farewell to their mother.
Several tribute performances followed Wynonna and Ashley’s remarks: Tommy Simms performed “Love Can Build A Bridge,” Gillian Welch and David Rawlings performed “Young Love (Strong Love)” and Carly Pearce performed “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days).”
Naomi Judd’s death shocked the country music community on Saturday, April 30.
Her passing was revealed on social media in a statement from her daughters. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement read. “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.”
The unfortunate news comes just weeks after Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd reunited for a performance of “Love Can Build A Bridge” at the 2022 CMT Music Awards.
Their performance coincided with the announcement of The Judds’ farewell tour, which was set to kick off on September 30 and hit 10 cities with support from Martina McBride.
The mother-daughter duo earned 14 No. 1 hits during their career that spanned nearly three decades, including “Love Can Build a Bridge,” “Mama He’s Crazy,” “Why Not Me,” “Turn It Loose,” “Girls Night Out,” “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” and “Grandpa.”
The Judds toured in the ’80s where they had a catalog of twenty Top 10 hits, 20 million-plus albums sold, a combined 16 Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum albums, and The Judds Greatest Hits.
Since launching their career in 1983, the duo went on to release six studio albums and an EP. The superstar pair have also won several awards, including nine CMA Awards, seven Academy Of Country Music Awards and five GRAMMY Awards for hits like “Why Not Me” and “Give A Little Love.”
After rising to fame, the iconic country duo broke up in 1991 after Doctors diagnosed Naomi with hepatitis c.
In addition to her celebrated music career, Naomi was also an actress, having appeared in several TV movies and TV series.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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