The country music world is mourning the loss ofNaomi Judd.
During her Saturday set atStagecoach Festivalin Indio, California,Carrie Underwoodpaid tribute to the late country icon and one half of the mother-daughter musical duo The Judds, whodied earlier that dayat age 76.
Underwood took a moment to say a few words onstage before performing her song “See You Again,” which includes the bittersweet refrain: “I will see you again / This is not where it ends / I will carry you with me / Till I see you again.”
“This next song goes out to everybody who’s ever lost someone that they loved, which is everybody,” Underwood said. “But just because the people that we love are not here with us does not mean that they are not here with us and does not mean that you will not see them again someday.” The singer then took a moment to point up towards the sky.
Carrie Underwood; Naomi Judd on April 11, 2022.Kevin Mazur/Getty for CMT; Jeff Kravitz/Getty for CMT
After urging the crowd to pull out a phone or a lighter and shine it in honor of those they’ve lost, Underwood took a moment to specifically mention Judd’s death, and how it has affected the entire country music community.
Carrie Underwood performs at Stagecoach on April 30, 2022.Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty
“Let’s light up this place in memory of all those that we miss,” Underwood said. “I know all of country music will be lighting something up for Ms. Naomi Judd.”
Underwood, 39, previously paid her respects to Judd on social media. “Country music lost a true legend…sing with the angels, Naomi!!! We’re all sending up prayers for the Judd family today…” shewrote on Twitter.
Carrie Underwood and Naomi Judd ins 2011.Julie Jacobson/AP/Shutterstock
Ahead of Underwood’s show,Brothers Osbornealso paid tribute to Judd during their own set, as John and TJ performed a chorus and a verse of The Judd’s 1984 No. 1 hit “Why Not Me.”
John and TJ Osborne.Timothy Norris/Getty
Naomi’s daughtersWynonna JuddandAshley Juddannounced their mother’s deathSaturday in a joint statement.
An additional statement from Naomi’s husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, reads: “Naomi Judd’s family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time.”
Naomi, Ashley and Wynonna Judd in 1999.Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Getty
For more on Naomi Judd, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Naomihas been open about her mental healthin the past,telling PEOPLEin 2016 that she suffered from suicidal depression, which she wrote about in her bookRiver of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope. “Nobody can understand it unless you’ve been there,” she said at the time.
“I literally couldn’t leave the house for weeks. I was completely immobilized and every single second was like a day,” Naomi added. “It’s so beyond making sense but I thought, ‘Surely my family will know that I was in so much pain and I thought they would have wanted me to end that pain [through suicide].’ "
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Although Naomi and Wynonna, 57, stopped performing as The Judds in 1991 when doctors diagnosed Naomi with hepatitis, the pairserenaded the crowd at the CMT Music Awardsearlier this month, making their first televised appearance in 20 years.
The Judds also recently announced a 10-date arena tour to kick off this September, and they were set tocelebrate their inductioninto Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. Despite her mother’s sudden death, Wynonna isstill expected to attend the ceremony.
source: people.com
