Naomi Judd’s memorial special will air on CMT featuring performances by Little Big Town and Brandi Carlile as well as a video message from Oprah
- Country legend Naomi Judd’s memorial will air on CMT this weekend
- The Judds singer, who was 76 when she passed, will have her life looked back on
- The tribute is titled Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration
- It will take place in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium beginning at 6 PM eastern time on Sunday
Country legend Naomi Judd’s memorial will air on CMT this weekend.
The Judds singer, who was 76 when she passed, will have her life put front and center during the tribute titled Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration.
It will take place in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium beginning at 6 PM eastern time on Sunday.
Gone but not forgotten: Country legend Naomi Judd’s memorial will air on CMT this weekend (pictured April 2022)
A number of special guests are set to participate in one way or another in honor of the late Judd.
Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts will host the memorial which will feature performances by Little Big Town, Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Emmylou Harris, Allison Russell and The Gaithers.
Bono, Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman and Salma Hayek are reportedly sending in video messages for the special event.
All about her: The Judds singer, who was 76 when she passed, will have her life front and center during the tribute titled Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration (L to R: Naomi Judd, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd pictured 2005)
Taking a part: A number of stars, including Oprah (pictured 2019), will participate in the memorial in some capacity on Sunday
Martina McBride, Naomi’s daughters Ashley and Wynonna and Naomi’s husband Larry Strickland will all appear at the event as well.
Naomi died of a self-inflicted firearm wound on Saturday, April 30, according to her daughter Ashley.
Ashley said on Good Morning America that her mother died from ‘the disease of mental illness.’ The Mama He’s Crazy singer openly talked about her mental health issues for years.
The Double Jeopardy actress said she was the person who discovered her mother after her suicide.
‘I have both grief and trauma from discovering her,’ the 54-year-old said.
Traumatic: Naomi died of a self-inflicted firearm wound on Saturday, April 30, according to her daughter Ashley who found her body (L to R: Ashley Judd, Wynonna Judd, Naomi Judd)
A big honor: Naomi took her own life just a day before she and her daughter Wynonna, 57, were set to be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame (pictured 2016)
Naomi took her own life just a day before she and her daughter Wynonna, 57, were set to be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame as members of the music duo The Judds.
‘That is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her,’ Ashley said. ‘Because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn’t penetrate into her heart and the lie the disease told her was so convincing.’
Despite the tragedy, Ashley and Wynonna still attended the induction and delivered a heartfelt speech dedicated to their mom.
‘My mama loved you so much and she appreciated your love for her,’ Wynonna said during the speech. ‘And I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today. Your esteem for her and your regard for her really penetrated her heart. And it was your affection for her that did keep her going in these last years.’
