Country singer Wynonna Judd admitted in a recent interview that she is still “incredibly angry” that her mother and singing partner Naomi Judd recently ended her own life.
Judd, 58, made an appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning” with correspondent Lee Cowan to talk about her life following the loss of her mother — and about going back on tour alone.
“I got the call, and I went over, and I saw her and I said goodbye to her in the hospital,” Judd explained, adding that she was still “incredibly angry” and wasn’t certain the feeling would ever really go away.
“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,” she said, later noting that she still felt her mother’s spirit with her. “I feel her nudging me. And sometimes, I laugh. And sometimes, I say, ‘I really miss you. Why aren’t you here so we can argue?'”
Judd went on to say that she had always tried to honor her mother — and she believed Naomi had known that.
WATCH:
Mother Naomi and daughter Wynonna Judd were one of the most successful country music duos in history. In her first interview since the death of her mother, Wynonna talks with correspondent Lee Cowan about using music to keep grief at bay. https://t.co/vcICJPc0o5 pic.twitter.com/M2sU7ihSNv
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) September 24, 2022
“I honored her as much as I could for as long as I could,” she said. “I’ll never forget it, she took my hand and she said, ‘My life is better because of you.'”
Cowan pressed Judd on her own plans to tour, asking whether she considered it to be therapy of sorts.
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Country music star Wynonna Judd talks about going on tour and her journey with grief after the death of her mother Naomi. https://t.co/vcICJPc0o5 pic.twitter.com/TCo1LmFTRx
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) September 24, 2022
“Is getting back on tour, is that therapy in some ways?” he asked.
“Look at my face and can you tell what the answer is?” Judd asked. “I have no idea. I swear to God, I don’t know if this time it’s therapy. I think it’s important to do it, if that makes sense. I feel like I have my marching orders and I know what they are and I’m going to show up. I don’t know if it’s going to be therapy, I’ll tell you in November. I will literally tell you in November, ‘That was the most amazing experience of my life,’ or ‘That was a s***show.'”
“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? It’s supposed to be the two of us. And I’m gonna be angry because she’s not there,” she added.
Judd also spoke at length about her mother’s battle with mental illness — and the questions she still asks herself about whether or not she should have seen a sign that her mother was struggling more than usual.
WATCH:
"She had incredibly great days in the middle of the dark days."
Country superstar Wynonna Judd, in her first television interview since her mother Naomi took her own life, talks about grief, going back on tour, and more with Lee Cowan this "Sunday Morning" pic.twitter.com/EAMs8epkyH
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) September 22, 2022
“I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it, 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,” she said.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.