Inside the volcanic relationship of Naomi and Wynonna Judd trends now
Though The Judds sang in perfect harmony onstage, when the lights went down the mother-daughter duo had a relationship fraught with family secrets, mental illness, and conflict that persisted from the day it began past the day it ended.
Trouble between Naomi, who battled depression throughout her life, and Wynonna Judd began before Wynonna was ever born when her father left her mother upon learning she was pregnant. From there they lived in the depths of poverty until eventually reaching the heights of fame on the country music scene.
Along the way they dealt with traumas from their past - ranging from sexual assaults to eating disorders - and developed a relationship Naomi said was so close they would 'scare each other because we can go so deep.'
It was so intense they would often go through periods of conflict and estrangement, which persisted until Naomi committed suicide last April and left a note saying 'Do not let Wy come to my funeral. She's mentally ill.' Naomi also wrote both her daughters out of her $25million will before her death.
Wynonna Judd playing guitar as a young girl with her mother Naomi
Naomi (left) and Wynonna (right) play onstage in 1988
Naomi Judd left a suicide note beside her bed, insisting her daughter Wynonna should not attend her funeral
Naomi became pregnant with Wynonna the first time she had sex, on the night she graduated from high school at 18 years old.
Three months later when she told the father, Charles Jordan, he hung up the phone on Naomi and left her alone.
'When I called him to tell him to say I thought I was pregnant, he said, 'Well, tough luck, kiddo,' Naomi recalled to Candy O'Terry in 2020, 'And he hung up the phone and we never heard from him.'
Naomi then quickly married a man named Michael Ciminella out of desperation, saying she 'had to marry the town jerk to have a roof and a name.'
Naomi Judd with daughters Wynonna (left) and Ashley (right)
Wynonna (left) singing with her mother around the age of 14
The couple and their newborn daughter then took off to Los Angeles where they had another daughter, Ashley, in 1968.
But the marriage quickly fell apart, and Naomi was left raising Wynonna and Ashley 'a paycheck away from the streets every night,' while working as a receptionist.
At 22, after being beaten and raped by a drug-addled ex-boyfriend, Naomi ran away with her kids to Kentucky where they lived off of welfare, without heat or electricity at times, while she tried to put herself through nursing school.
During those years Wynonna said she was largely left alone to raise her younger sister while her mother was out of the house trying to make ends meet at all hours.
Speaking on Larry King Live in 2005, Wynonna told how she lived with 'key around my neck,' as a child, letting herself come and go from the house while her mother was at work or school.
'We were on welfare and so she was gone a lot and I kind of feel like I raised Ashley. I mean mom gave birth to her but she kind of belongs to me.'
Naomi holding daughter Ashley, and puts an arm around Wynonna
When Naomi was home, she would play guitar and sing with Wynonna, whose talent as a singer was quickly becoming apparent. The pair eventually landed a record deal after recording a demo together and giving
