Naomi Judd's death three years ago was a tragic loss in country music. But no one felt the loss more acutely than Naomi's daughters, Wynonna and Ashley. The two have both been successful as artists. Ashley is an award-winning actress, and Wynonna was one-half of The Judds with her mother, also enjoying a solo career.
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The unimaginable loss became survivable in large part because of the bond the sisters share. It's one that became even closer with Naomi's passing.
"They were forced together," Naomi's widower, Larry Strickland, tells People. "We all had to come together around this trauma, this tragic event. And it, of course, opened our eyes about how short life can be and how fleeting."
"Realizing that we lost a wife and mother, it forced us to be together, whether we wanted to or not," he adds.
Larry also became closer to the sisters after losing his wife.
"It just really drove me closer to them because they're what's left of [Naomi]" Larry explains.
"We were close, I think, always in the early years and later years," he continues. "But the fact that Naomi's gone and Wynonna and Ashley are the main part of her that's left, and it's what's still here for me to cling to and have in my life."
The Judds' Induction Into The Country Music Hall of Fame
The Judds became members of the Country Music Hall of Fame on May 1, 2022, one day after Naomi's passing. Ashley praised Wynonna for her support of her mother, and the legendary career they created together.
"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 said at the time. "Your regard for her really penetrated in her heart, and it was your affection for her that did keep her going in these last years .... And while this is so much about The Judds as a duo, I want to take a moment to recognize my sister, A GOAT.
"This voice around the house, first picking out 'The Pink Panther' on the piano when I'm almost still in diapers ... I've always been so proud of the music and so proud of you, but perhaps never so much when you walked out on stage with Steven Tyler," she added with a laugh.
