People navigate grief in a myriad of different ways. Oftentimes, we go to drastic lengths to try and grapple with the pain and loss. The road to acceptance is a turbulent one that comes with an ocean of tears in our lowest moments. For Wynonna Judd, it's been especially heartbreaking. Her mother and musical partner in crime Naomi tragically died by suicide in 2022.
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Those circumstances come with a lot of survivor's guilt and it's hard to get over such a monumental hurdle. For her sister Ashley, it comes with a devastating acceptance, especially as one of the last people Naomi spoke to before passing away. As for Wynonna, recently, she spoke to Clint Black for his Talking in Circles show. There, she candidly opens up about how she's choosing to find the lesson in tragedy rather than lie in defeat. She's all too aware that all she can do is move forward despite it all.
Consequently, Judd is taking the music with her mother on the road and expressing her grief instead of bottling it up. "So this tour is me going through the first two albums... I'm doing two albums in one night which will be a celebration of just how far I've come, that I got through it. I'm better not bitter for all the crap that's happened to me. That's the key," Wynonna explains. "I think you have to get to a place in your life where you realize you're not a victim."
Wynonna Judd Candidly Speaks About How She Grieves Her Late Mother Naomi
"And all this crap has happened to me with Mom committing suicide last year, I had a choice to make. I can either let that define me, or give me permission to show everybody and myself that I could do it, even in spite of the hellish time period that I went through. That I could still sing, and so I went on tour, because fans bought the tickets and they were there for me, and I thought I'm not gonna stay home and complain. I'm gonna go to work," Wynonna adds.
This firm perspective wasn't always concrete. There was a lot of questions to grapple with in the aftermath for the Judd family. That ate her alive for a while when the grief was still raw and she felt fragile. Still, Wynonna keeps her resolve strong; with the power of family and music, she can make a difference for the next person. That way, hopefully, someone can fight their own battles.
"But now that she's gone, I didn't know what to do Clint. You know you told me that your father committed suicide, so we have that in common. And what do you do with that kind of crap that happens to you? You feel so helpless, and there's a mystery there as to why," Wynonna says.
"This past year, I've learned so much about myself, and now that I'm with my grand baby 24/7, I'm learning that there is life after death and if I can go out on this tour, this is heavy, and I can go out onstage and I can help someone decide to stay instead of leaving, then I've done my job. And I just know that what we're going through after our parents death is, I'm now an orphan I have to decide whether the cup is half full or half empty," Wynonna concludes.
