Wynonna Judd Sings ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ in Remembrance of Naomi Judd [Watch]
Wynonna Judd paid tribute to Naomi Judd at a memorial celebration for the late country legend at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Sunday night (May 15), performing their anthemic "Love Can Build a Bridge."
As mother-daughter duo the Judds, Wynonna and Naomi first released "Love Can Build a Bridge" — which Naomi co-wrote — as a single in 1990. Wynonna's performance had particularly emotional significance on the Ryman stage because it was the last song she and her mother ever performed together as a duo: They sang it together at the 2022 CMT Awards, just weeks before Naomi's death on April 30.
The public memorial event, called Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, featured artists such as Carly Pearce, Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Ashley McBryde and many more congregating in remembrance of the legendary performer.
Of course, the most powerful appearances came from Naomi's closest family members. In addition to Wynonna's musical tributes to her mother, Naomi's other daughter, actor Ashley Judd, was in attendance, as was her widower Larry Strickland. Fans were invited to attend the public memorial event.
Following Naomi's death, Ashley and Wynonna issued a joint statement saying that they had lost their mother "to the disease of mental illness." Several days afterward, Ashley gave a deeply emotional interview to Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer revealing that Naomi died by suicide, and that the cause of death was a self-inflicted firearm wound. Her death came just one day before the Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and several months before they were planning to go out on a 2022 tour.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained counselor at the Crisis Text Line. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.