Wynonna Judd opens up about mom Naomi's death 1 month later
Wynonna Judd opened up about her mother Naomi's death in a moving Instagram post one month after she died.
"Checking in," the "No One Else on Earth" singer, 58, began in the caption. She included a photo of her onstage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium during the CMT special "Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration," which aired May 14.
"Before I sat down to write this, I thought, 'No…I just don't know what to say.' Then, I heard the words from my life coach asking me, 'What do you know?' And I began to cry,'" Judd wrote. "WHAT DO I KNOW??"
"I DO know, that the pain of losing Mom on 4/30 to suicide is so great, that I often feel like I'm not ever going to be able to fully accept and surrender to the truth that she left the way she did. This cannot be how The Judds story ends," she continued, adding a broken-heart emoji.
Judd wrote about wanting to be "a healthier grandparent" to her firstborn grandchild, Kaliyah, who was born just two weeks and two days "before Mom left." She said her goal is to "break the cycle of addiction & family dysfunction" by showing up for herself first and doing "the personal healing work."
"I DO know, that I feel so helpless—right now especially," Judd wrote. "I DO know, that as corny as it sounds, 'Love Can Build A Bridge.' I find myself humming the song that Mom wrote for the fans, to myself here on the farm at night."
The country superstar ended the post with a message to fans -- and seemingly as a reminder to herself -- to not be afraid to "reach out for help."
"I really DO know, that I'm not able to do this grieving thing all by myself, and that it's okay to reach out for help. I will continue to fight for my faith, for my SELF, for my family, and I WILL continue to show up & sing," she wrote in closing. "Thank you all for your love and support. Let's check in more often."
Naomi Judd died April 30 at the age of 76, just one day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as the Grammy-winning duo The Judds. Wynonna and her sister, actress Ashley Judd, shared in a statement at the time that they'd lost their mother "to the disease of mental illness."
On May 12, when opening up to ABC News' Diane Sawyer, Ashley Judd offered more details about how Noami died and put a spotlight on mental health. Wynonna did not take part in the interview, but did share a letter with ABC News saying, "I need to take some time to process, and I need this time to myself."
"I'm not ready yet to speak publicly about what happened, so I know you understand why I'm not there today. We will do this piece differently," Wynonna wrote in her letter. "We have each other, and I'm grateful we're connected as we walk together through this storm. I just can't believe she's gone. I'm here. This will take time."
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
