Wynonna Judd recently revealed how she feels about touring without her mom, Naomi Judd. Wynonna told CBS Sunday Morning, “As I walk out on stage that first night, I’ll probably say something like, ‘It’s not supposed to be like this.'”

As one half of one of the most successful country duos, of all time, Wynonna continued, “Because it’s not, right?  It’s supposed to be the two of us.  And I’m gonna be angry because she’s not there.”  She added, “I think when you lose your mother, a lot of that crap goes away because it doesn’t matter anymore.  It just doesn’t.” 

The Judds were, truly, one of the most successful acts in country music history.  They won five Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and nine Country Music Association awards.  They also charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

Wynonna says she feels certain that she’s got to carry out the farewell tour they had planned to perform together, that she has her “marching orders,” knows that her mom and her family would not want tragedy to be the end of their story.

Last Spring, just one day before they were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Naomi took her life.  She had battled mental illness, and had become an advocate for those who suffer with it, and their families.

Wynonna said, “I did not know that she was at the place she was at when she ended it.  Because she had had episodes before and she had gotten better and that’s the challenge with mental illness, it’s really, really mysterious.  That’s what I live in — was there anything I should have looked for or should have known? I didn’t.  That’s why it’s such a shock.”

She added, “People think it’s (mental illness) a character flaw and they don’t know it’s this incredibly dark and light experience.  She had incredibly great days in the middle of the dark days, that’s why it’s so confusing.”

Wynonna will forge ahead with The Judds: The Final Tour dates, despite her mother’s death. She will be joined by a rotating group of special guests including Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Brandi Carlile, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde and Trisha Yearwood along the way.  The tour opens on September 30th in Grand Rapids, MI.

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