Alongside Ashley McBryde, The Gaithers and more, the musicians are set to pay tribute to the late country singer, who died by suicide in Aprul, at the celebration of her life on May 15.
- May 14, 2022
AceShowbiz - Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, The Gaithers, Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell will perform at Naomi Judd's memorial. Robin Roberts will preside over Sunday's May 15 celebration of life for the late country singer, who died by suicide last month. Meanwhile, Bono, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Martina McBride and Salma Hayek will offer tributes.
Naomi's daughters [Wynonna Judd] and [Ashley Judd] will attend and CMT producers said in a statement, "We are sincerely privileged to work alongside Wynonna and Ashley to present this live celebration of life for their mother Naomi. While we all continue to deeply mourn the loss of such a legendary artist, we are honoured 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."
The producers added, "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." Family and friends previously celebrated Judd's life last week with a private memorial in downtown Nashville.
Meanwhile, Ashley, 54, recently revealed that Naomi, 75, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While she admitted her family were "uncomfortable" about revealing certain information, she explained that they wanted to be in control of the flow of information about her death before the autopsy was released. Ashley said, "She used a weapon… my mother used a firearm. So that's the piece of information that we are very uncomfortable sharing, but understand that we’re in a position that if we don't say it someone else is going to."
Ashley explained that she was chosen to represent the family to discuss her mother's passing, and shine a light on the importance of seeking help. "My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish, and she walked home," she said. "When we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. It's very real, and it lies, it's savage."
