Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna dominated country music as the powerhouse mother-daughter duo, The Judds. On stage, their bond seemed unbreakable—harmonizing flawlessly, winning awards, and securing their place in country music history. But behind the curtain, their relationship was far more complex.
A long-held secret, kept for decades, would later leave one daughter questioning everything she thought she knew about her past.
Naomi’s Journey: From Struggle to Stardom
Before Naomi Judd became a country music legend, she was simply a young mother facing overwhelming struggles. Life had been anything but easy.
Born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky, Naomi’s world changed when her older brother tragically passed away from Hodgkin’s disease. The grief fractured her family—her father turned to alcohol, and eventually, her parents divorced.
At just 17 years old, Naomi found herself pregnant. Desperate to give her child a name, she quickly married Michael Ciminella. Shortly after, she welcomed her first daughter, Christina Claire Ciminella—who the world would later come to know as Wynonna Judd.
Four years later, she had her second daughter, Ashley. But Naomi’s marriage didn’t last. After the divorce, she packed up and moved to Los Angeles, taking on multiple jobs to support her daughters. She worked as a model, a secretary, and even as a receptionist for The Fifth Dimension’s manager.
The financial strain was constant. There were nights when she couldn’t afford food or rent, but she pushed forward, determined to build a better life for her children.
Amidst the chaos, Naomi enrolled in nursing school. But life dealt her another devastating blow—she became a victim of a violent assault. Fearing for her safety, she fled California with her daughters, eventually settling back in Kentucky.
Their new life was one of extreme poverty. Their home had no heat, no phone, no television. But even in hardship, Naomi held onto hope.
She traded a prized possession—a buck knife—to buy Wynonna her first guitar. That small sacrifice sparked something magical. Music became their escape, and that escape turned into history.
Ashley’s Childhood: A Different Kind of Loneliness
While Naomi and Wynonna were building their future in music, Ashley Judd’s upbringing looked very different.
Unlike her sister, who was always by their mother’s side, Ashley spent much of her childhood feeling isolated and disconnected.
By the time she was 18, Ashley had attended 13 different schools. With Naomi and Wynonna constantly on the road, Ashley was often left behind, shuffled between her father, Michael, and other caretakers.
She later revealed in her memoir, All That Is Bitter and Sweet, that her childhood was not only lonely but traumatic. She disclosed that she had been sexually abused by multiple men, including a family member.
While Naomi and Wynonna chased their musical dreams, Ashley struggled with depression, abandonment, and feelings of neglect. But instead of following in her mother and sister’s musical footsteps, she forged her own path.
Ashley became a celebrated actress, starring in major films like Double Jeopardy and Kiss the Girls.
Yet, even as she found success, there was always an invisible wall between her and her mother and sister.
A Life-Altering Secret Revealed
For years, Wynonna believed she knew her place in the family. She had no reason to question her identity.
Michael Ciminella had always been her father—or so she thought.
At 30 years old, her world shifted. Naomi revealed a secret she had been keeping for decades: Michael was not her biological father.
Her real father was a man she had never even known about.
Wynonna was blindsided. “The first thing I said was, ‘It’s okay.’ And of course, I was raging inside,” she later admitted. “I’ve just now come to realize how angry I was.”
What made the revelation even more painful? Ashley had known the truth all along.
Ashley believed the secrecy had done more harm than the truth itself. “Not knowing the truth is what has messed her up rather than having found out,” she said.
For Wynonna, the news unraveled everything. But even after learning the truth, she didn’t immediately seek out her biological father’s side of the family.
It would take nearly three more decades before she finally reached out.
Wynonna’s Long Road to Finding Her Half-Brother
In 2020—almost 30 years after learning the truth—Wynonna made a life-changing phone call.
On his birthday, she picked up the phone and called her half-brother, Michael, for the first time. She recorded the moment, capturing herself saying, “Hi, this is your sister.”
It was a sentence she had never spoken before.
The emotional exchange marked the beginning of a long-overdue connection.
Ever the artist, Wynonna planned to incorporate the recording into a song—using music, as always, to process her emotions.
“I had to decide whether I was better or bitter,” she reflected.
Reaching out to her half-brother gave Wynonna answers about her past. But it did not mend the complicated, often painful relationship she had with Naomi.
A Mother-Daughter Relationship Filled With Tension
Naomi and Wynonna weren’t just mother and daughter. They were musical partners. They spent years touring together, bound by their shared success.
But that closeness also led to conflict.
Naomi had Wynonna at a young age, and for much of their lives, it had been them against the world. That kind of relationship breeds intensity—love, but also tension.
Wynonna later joked about spending a decade on a tour bus with her mother. “We needed a break from each other,” she admitted.
Over the years, their relationship saw periods of estrangement and reconciliation. Naomi confessed, “If I’d known better, I would have done better.”
But their bond was always tested by Naomi’s internal battles.
Naomi’s Mental Health Struggles
For years, Naomi suffered from severe depression and anxiety.
By 2011, things had reached a breaking point. After The Judds’ Last Encore tour, Naomi fell into a deep depression.
She was hospitalized multiple times. Medication left her exhausted, and she barely left her house. “I lost my purpose,” she admitted.
For a while, she kept the full extent of her struggles hidden—even from Wynonna.
At one point, Naomi was hospitalized for over a week in a psychiatric ward. Wynonna didn’t even know until afterward.
“We are so empathic, we can look at each other and absolutely fall in each other’s arms crying without saying a word,” Naomi said. “We scare each other because we can go so deep.”
Despite years of therapy, medication, and treatment, her illness never truly released its grip on her.
Naomi’s Tragic Passing
On April 30, 2022—just one day before The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame—Naomi took her own life.
She was 76 years old.
Her daughters released a statement confirming the devastating news:
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.”
Wynonna struggled to process the loss.
“I can’t quite wrap my head around it, and I don’t know that I ever will,” she said.
But she made one decision: she would continue The Judds’ final tour in Naomi’s honor.
Carrying On Naomi’s Legacy
Wynonna took the stage alongside guest artists like Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, and Trisha Yearwood—keeping her mother’s music alive.
Meanwhile, Ashley channeled her grief into activism, advocating for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
Through their work, Naomi’s voice lives on.
She was a mother, a singer, a fighter. A woman who carried the weight of the world and still found a way to turn pain into music.
And that music will never be forgotten.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.