Wynonna Judd Recalls Saying Goodbye to Mother Naomi in First Interview Since Her Death

Wynonna Judd is opening up about the death of her mother and the other half of the mother-daughter country music duo The Judds, Naomi. For the first time since the death of her beloved mother, Wynonna is recalling what happened to Naomi and rushing to be by her side. She told CBS Sunday Morning that she said goodbye to Naomi in the hospital after she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30 at 76 years old.

“I got the call, and I went over, and I saw her, and that was that,” Wynonna says on CBS Sunday Morning in a preview clip of the interview. “I said goodbye to her in the hospital, and I closed her eyes, and I kissed her forehead, and that was that. And the next thing I know, I’m sitting here on the front porch, on the side porch … you know, and I’m just tryin’ to figure out what’s next.” 

Her sister, Double Jeopardy star Ashley Judd, spoke in the days after Naomi’s death as a spokesperson for the family. At the time, she revealed ahead of the autopsy findings being revealed that her mother died by suicide, an effort to tell the narrative before being picked up by the press. In the interview, Ashley revealed that she was the one to discover their mother’s failing body. 

Naomi’s death happened just days before she and Wynonna would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna says she never thought she’d lose her mother, who was open about dealing with PTSD and bipolar disorder throughout her life, in such a way.

“I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it because she had had episodes before and she got better,” Wynonna says in the interview. “That’s the challenge with mental illness. It’s really, really mysterious. And that’s what I live in, is like, ‘Was there anything I should have looked for or should I have known?’ I didn’t. That’s why it’s such a shock.”

Wynonna’s interview will air on the Sept. 25 episode of CBS Sunday Morning at 9 a.m. ET. It will also be available on the CBS Television Network to stream on Paramount+.