It's a shame how tragedy tends to reunite families the most. It can't be positive circumstances that brings people back together. It almost always seems to revolve around grief. For the Judd family, sisters Wynonna and Ashley lost their mother Naomi to suicide in 2022 at 76 years old. Each of them have dealt with their mourning in their own distinct ways. Sure, the loss brought them back together, but the older sister says they still aren't as close as she wishes they could be.
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Recently, Wynonna spoke with Clint Black on Talking in Circles. There she candidly reflects on grief and her current family dynamic amidst the loss of her mother Naomi Judd. As for her relationship with her sister Ashley, Judd wishes that the pair were closer than they were. However, their lives grew increasingly tumultuous over time due to the pressures of fame. Consequently, there's a bit of a distance between them.
Wynonna Judd Wishes She Was Closer to Her Sister Ashley Judd
"Ashley's doing well. I don't see her very much, and we're not as close as I'd like to be, but that's because success took us away from each other," Judd says. "It's a funny thing. There's a bit of a sadness because being famous takes you from home."
It probably doesn't help that Wynonna also took on the responsibility of helping raise Ashley as the older sister. In a single parent household, the eldest filled in where mom couldn't always be there. In that sense, she wonders how much that played a part in their current dynamic. "I raised Ashley. That's why we have such a funny relationship, 'cause she calls me 'sister mommy.' And I'm a little bit sad about that, 'cause I didn't get to be her sister," Wynonna admits.
"It was just the two of us, trying to survive. I'm bigger and meaner than her, 'cause I had to be. I had to be mean 'cause I had to keep it together. When you're 14 years old, and your mom is working all the time and you learn to drive," Wynonna adds. "I was responsible for a lot. And [her mom Naomi] put me in charge. And that's just the way it was. You grow up with a single parent, what are you gonna do? We made it through, didn't we?"
