Wynonna Judd Confronts Painful Memories of Mother's Suicide - 'Something Wasn't Right'

The star singer and Hoda Kotb recently discussed on her Making Space podcast where she described her mom's countenance on the night of their last performance together at the CMT Awards. The music star noted, "I knew something wasn't right in terms of her being a little bit off." Wynonna said this in reference to her late mom.

In April 2022, the duo took the CMT Awards stage together harmonizing on their hit single, Love Can Build a Bridge. Wynonna recalled sensing worry in her mom's demeanor. She relayed that she thought it was because Naomi hadn't sung in a long time. The 58-year-old added that her mom who was never late was late that fateful night. She had associated it with nervousness at the time.

Wynonna continued speaking about their last performance together as she mentioned that she was surprised by her mom's unusual wig. She recalled how her first thought was to pull off the wig rather than hug or comfort the Window Wonderland actress. Sensing her mom was not her usual self, Wynonna reached out, and touched her hand to reassure her.

Per Page Six, the Why Not Me crooner further reminisced as she stated that she was glad to have pulled her mom closer because that was the last time they performed together. She was glad she did not "stay in her perfectionism."

A few weeks after that telling mother-daughter duet, Naomi's death was announced. The five-time Grammy winner was said to have committed suicide after a years-long battle with depression and anxiety. Wynonna and her sister Ashley Judd shared a joint statement announcing their mom's death.

While Naomi's death rocked her daughter and fellow performer to her core, it is safe to that Wynonna was able to pass across her heartfelt message. During an October 2022 interview with People, the country icon revealed that the last thing she told her mother was, "I love you."

The star relayed that the aftermath of her mom's passing has had her asking a lot of questions. She mentioned talking to her a lot and stating how she did not understand what happened. She shared, "Why, why, why did you do this? Why did you do this? Why did you do this?' I talk a lot to her... I’m still struggling big time with, 'Why did you do this?'"

Despite being troubled and confused about what went wrong, Wynonna doesn't want her mom to be remembered for the bleak things. She recalled how the late singer and actress was very kind. She noted that Naomi was kind to all, and it didn't matter if it was a limo driver or a maid. The Grandpa singer stated that her mom would be remembered for her "kindness."

Before the end of 2022, Wynonna experienced mental fatigue which included bouts of vertigo. This made her cancel her New Year's Eve Live performance. She would later reveal in an update that she was working hard on her mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She stated that although she was "broken," she was working 'really hard at self-care which she referred to as sacred and not selfish.