Wynonna Judd plays Nashville benefit for mental health in the music industry… 18 months after her mother Naomi’s suicide aged 76

Winona Judd hosted a mental health outreach in Nashville this Tuesday – 18 months after losing her mother Naomi Judd to suicide.

Four decades after The Judds rose to fame together as a singing duo, Wynonna took the stage alone at the Brooklyn Bowl.

Held on World Mental Health Day, the concert was a fundraiser for a non-profit organization called Backline which according to website ‘connects music industry professionals with mental health and wellbeing resources.’

Wearing her signature flame red hair down, Wynonna was dressed in black as she stepped out into the crowd to perform at the barn.

The evening was a tribute to the late Tom Petty and was titled Handle With Care after his song which he performed as part of the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys.

Winona was part of a glittering lineup that included Wyatt Flores, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Ben Chapman, Drake Milligan and Ella Langley.

According to official site for the Brooklyn Bowl, 100 percent of the proceeds from Tuesday’s concert went to the charity he used.

Her latest performance comes weeks before she embarks on a solo tour to celebrate 40 years in the music industry.

Wynonna, 59 – who made music history with Naomi as country music duo The Judds from 1993 until her death in 2022 – said she would ‘shed a tear’ for her mother when she performed All of That Love From Here on the 15th Back to the Vi Theater tour starting on October 26th.

The tour will feature performances from her first two solo albums, she released her self-titled debut solo album in 1992 and released her second album Tell Me Who in 1993. This followed a hugely successful eight-year duo with Naomi.

Naomi Judd died of a single gunshot to the head and left a suicide note next to her body on April 30, 2022.

According to the autopsy report, Naomi struggled with “significant” anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder.

Speaking with People Wynonna said: ‘I’ve been on the road since ’19 and ’83. So do the math – and touring is one of my favorite things to do. Coming off The Judds tribute tour for me, it was time to get back to intimacy again. This year celebrates not only being in country music for 40 years, but me as a solo artist — I have so much to celebrate.

‘(At the time), I was coming off my years on the road with my mom, and I just think back to that time in my life when I was alone feeling all the feelings you get when you move away from home and go to college.

“That song (All of That Love From Here) was my mother’s personal favorite. It’s going to be one of those moments where I’ll probably shed a tear because that song was for my mom. And now that she is gone, it brings even more emotions..

The star added that the pressure on her has subsided and that she is determined to enjoy concerts with her fans and added: “Especially now that my mom is gone, I rely on my fans more than ever.”

The 15-city tour kicks off on October 26th at the Murat Theater at the Old National Center in Indianapolis, Indiana and will conclude on December 1st in Knoxville, Tennessee. Zvezda will play both albums in full and end the night with some Judds classics.

Pre-sale tickets will be available for Winona’s fan club on August 22nd, while general sales will begin on August 25th.

Following Naomi’s death, Winona continued The Judds’ The Final Tour in autumn 2022 – joined by Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBride and Trisha Yearwood.

Two weeks before her shocking death, Naomi stood on stage with her daughter Winona at a surprise reunion at the April 2022 Country Music Awards.

They sang a powerful song of reconciliation, written by Naomi – “Love Can Build A Bridge” in her last public performance before her suicide.

The toxicology report concluded that the singer had several different drugs in her system at the time of her death.

The autopsy report states, “She had an apparent gunshot wound and was transported to Williamson Medical Center where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

“According to the family, the deceased previously had suicidal thoughts and recent life stresses.

“A weapon and a message with suicidal connotations were found on the deceased at the scene.

According to the report, the bullet ‘entered the right side of the head and entered the skull through an entry-type bullet wound.’

The Judd family said in a statement: “Our beloved mother and wife succumbed to mental illness. Anyone who has lived through this tragedy understands that in the depths of a mental health crisis, thinking is deeply distorted. Moreover, the worst days are never the comforts and pleasures of sickness-free days.

“In the wake of this tragedy, our family has attempted to grieve, together with our community, and most importantly, with the privacy that anyone who loses a family member deserves.”

“We have always been an honest and open family, both about our difficulties and the depth of our love for each other.” In this particular case, however, we are asking for privacy, because a death with privacy is a death with more dignity.’

The Judds were the most successful country singers of the ’80s, winning five Grammys, nine CMA Awards and selling 20 million records.

In the immediate aftermath of their mother’s death, Ashley and Winona supported each other in their loss, attending her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame on May 1, the day after their mother’s suicide.

Naomi had a turbulent upbringing – and partly attributed her depression to the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle when she was just three years old.

When she was 22, Naomi was raped and beaten by an ex-boyfriend, a trauma that caused her to flee Los Angeles for rural Kentucky, where she lived with her children on welfare while training to become a nurse.

They lived in a house without electricity, telephone, television or indoor plumbing.

Naomi moved to Nashville when she qualified and eventually became the head nurse in the intensive care unit.

There she learned that the patient’s father was in the music industry. She made a tape of herself singing with Winona, gave it to him and the musical career of “The Judds” began.

On May 29, a month after her mother’s death, Winona wrote an emotional post on Instagram in which she spoke of her unbearable grief and fear that she would never be able to “let go of the truth” about the way her mother left this life.

She wrote about ‘personal healing’, her feeling of being ‘helpless’ and the few things she knew in the face of such despair and drama.

She said she will continue to fight for her faith, herself and her family, to keep ‘showing up and singing’.

And she vowed to ‘break the cycle’ of addiction and dysfunction that stalked the Judd women and, with Grace’s prison, threatens to turn into another generation.