Naomi Judd Celebration of Life to Air Live From Ryman Auditorium on CMT
The life of Naomi Judd will be celebrated during a public memorial service at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Sunday, May 15. The event, called Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, will air live and commercial free on CMT starting at 6PM ET.
Presented CMT and Sandbox Live, the celebration will "honor the extraordinary life and legacy" of the country star, and it is set to include tributes from her daughters, actress Ashley Judd and singer Wynonna Judd. Further details about tributes and performers will be announced in the days leading up to the event.
“We are sincerely privileged to work alongside Wynonna, Ashley and Larry to present this live celebration of life for their mother and wife Naomi," CMT producers share in a press release, referencing Larry Strickland, Naomi's husband. "While we all continue to deeply mourn the loss of such a legendary artist, we are honored to commemorate her legacy alongside the country community, her friends, family and legions of fans across the world at the perfect venue: The Mother Church of Country Music. This special will celebrate her timeless voice, unforgettable spirit and the immense impact she left on our genre through the best form of healing we have — music."
Naomi Judd died at the age of 76 on April 30, 2022 — one day before the Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. That event went on, with Ashley and Wynonna appearing at the ceremony to honor their mother. The daughters and many country stars also assembled on May 7 at the Hall of Fame's CMA Theater for a private memorial service to honor the late singer.
In an emotional Good Morning America interview on Thursday (May 12), Ashley Judd revealed that her mother died from a self-inflicted firearm wound. Judd made it clear that the family decided to share the news with GMA's Diane Sawyer so the information would not become public in any other way.
"Mom was a brilliant conversationalist, she was a star, she was an underrated songwriter, and she was someone who suffered from mental illness," Judd said of her mother in the interview.
"[She was] just an unfailingly kind, sensitive woman."