Larry Strickland is paying tribute to his late wife Naomi Judd.
17.05.2022 - 07:33 / variety.com
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic“Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration” was broadcast live on CMT Sunday night two weeks and one day after the country music legend died. But it hadn’t been half that long in the planning. The show’s gestation really came just a week prior to air date, on — appropriately enough — Mother’s Day.
That was when executive producer Jason Owen considered a wish that Naomi had put into her will several years back: that a memorial be held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The only date the storied venue had open on which cameras and crowds could come in was just seven days ago. So Owen and his producing partners at CMT did what Naomi would have done: They hustled.The expedience with which the show was produced worked in its favor, as there was still plenty of raw emotion to go around to lend the show its share of raw emotion.
Not that many country performers won’t still be fighting off breaking down if they figure to bust out a Judds cover a month or even a year or two hence. But in its urgency, the show had even artists with even marginal personal connections to the Judds getting tearful, never mind the raw and sometimes irreverent emotions of the always transparent Wynonna Judd, to make it more emotional than tributes with a bit more distance tend to be. For however slickly produced and outrightly entertaining the production was, it captured a river of Nashville grief still in its headwaters.
Larry Strickland is paying tribute to his late wife Naomi Judd.
A fitting tribute. Naomi Judd‘s husband, Larry Strickland, talked about the country singer’s legacy while recalling her final days in an emotional speech.
Naomi Judd‘s husband is speaking out in public about his late wife for the first time.
A country legend remembered. Naomi Judd‘s life and legacy were celebrated in an emotional televised memorial organized by her daughters and husband.
perform “The Rose” with Brandi Carlile. Wynonna Judd paused her performance at one point so that she could redo a section of the song better, her voice soaring as the crowd cheered.The ceremony began with Judd’s daughter Ashley delivering a eulogy that traced her mother’s life from its humble beginnings in Kentucky to the heights of superstardom.“We are here tonight remembering an icon and a legend who left country music better than she found it,” Ashley Judd said tearfully.“She was every woman.
The country music community gathered today at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to remember one of their own. As it might be expected, the best way to honor and memorialize one of the genre’s greatest hitmakers was found in song.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticOne of pop culture’s most famous mother figures got a sendoff from her community at the Mother Church of country music Sunday, as Wynonna and Ashley Judd welcomed country stars and other celebrities to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” a tribute that was broadcast live on CMT.A frequently heaven-looking Wynonna, who with her late mother was half of the country duo the Judds, sang “River of Time” early in the ceremony, then closed it joined by her local Christ Church choir for what was the pair’s final hit, “Love Will Build a Bridge.” She also participated in a recreation of the mother/daughter harmonies by pairing up with Brandi Carlile for a duet of “The Rose,” preceded by a video testimonial by Bette Midler. Pure magic on stage tonight ✨ @Wynonna @brandicarlile pic.twitter.com/5XmUe8EdGA— CMT (@CMT) May 16, 2022“It’s so strange to be here, but natural at the same time,” said Wynonna.
Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Naomi Judd will be honored with a memorial presented by CMT on May 15 at 5 p.m.
The life of Naomi Judd will be celebrated during a memorial this weekend and it will air live on CMT.
Fans of the late Naomi Judd will be able to pay their final respects via televised coverage of the late country singer’s memorial service.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticA public memorial service for Naomi Judd has been set for this Sunday evening at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, with CMT airing it live and commercial-free at 6 p.m. ET/3 PT.The lineup of participating artists who will perform or otherwise pay tribute will be announced in the days leading up to the event, with organizers for now promising “some of the biggest names in entertainment” will have a part in saying goodbye to the singer, who died April 30.Naomi’s daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd, are participating in the program, which is being co-produced by CMT and Sandbox Live.
Naomi Judd, the longtime country music singer who unexpectedly passed away at 76 years old just one day before she was set to be inducted Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, reportedly died by suicide.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s department has launched an investigation into the shocking death of country legend Naomi Judd.
Ann Wilson is celebrating the late Naomi Judd amid her unexpected death. ET spoke with the Heart frontwoman about her friendship with the country music legend and how she'll be remembering her.
tell People. Naomi’s daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, said they lost their mom to “the disease of mental illness” in a statement released on Saturday. She was 76.The Post has reached out for comment from representatives of the singers.
Remembering their mom. Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd tearfully took the stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony one day after announcing the death of their mother, Naomi Judd.