Wynonna Judd Recalls Mom Naomi Talking About Death Frequently Before Her Suicide

More than four years after her mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide at the age of 76, Wynonna Judd recalls the late music icon’s behavior prior to her death.

While appearing on the All There Is with Anderson Cooper podcast, Wynonna admitted she wasn’t “surprised” by her mother’s death.

“She talked about it a lot,” Wynonna said about her mother frequently talking about death. “Even to her grandson who’s a deputy, about jumping off a bridge. She talked about it so much with me. I don’t know who else besides Ashley [Judd], but she talked about it a lot.”

Wynonna also recalled telling her mother that she had “too much to live for.”

“She was always watching those shows on TV about stuff like that. I just remember thinking, ‘What is she doing? I don’t understand,’” Wynonna continued. “She’d call me and say, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore.’ And I’d go over and spend the night with her. It was awful.”

The singer-songwriter added that her famous mother was “really struggling in the end.”

Naomi died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30, 2022. In a statement, Wynonna and Ashley revealed the devastating news.

“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement read. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”

Wynonna and Naomi had performed together as the country music mother-daughter duo The Judds throughout the ’80s. Although the group disbanded in the early ’90s, Wynonna and Naomi did numerous reunions, including their Super Bowl XXVIII halftime show.

They also collaborated on other projects, including Naomi singing harmony on Wynonna’s 2004 single “Flies on the Butter (You Can’t Go Home Again),” credited as “Wynonna with Naomi Judd.”

In 2011, the mother-daughter duo reunited for the “Last Encore Tour,” which expanded from 18 to 29 performance dates. That same year, Curb Records released the group’s new album I Will Stand by You: The Essential Collection, featuring two new songs and 12 hits.

Wynonna and Naomi continued to reunite randomly throughout the years, with their last performance together at the 2022 CMT Music Awards just weeks before Naomi’s death. Around the same time, they announced “The Final Tour,” set to begin in September 2022 and featuring special guest Martina McBride.

Although her mother had died, Wynonna stated she would continue the tour under The Judds. The tour featured guest appearances by McBride, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town, and Brandi Carlile.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline​. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.