Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Brandi Carlile & More to Take Part in Naomi Judd’s Public Memorial
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The host and performers have been announced for the public memorial for Naomi Judd, titled Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, which will air live from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sunday, May 15, beginning at 6 p.m. ET on CMT. An encore presentation will air at 10 p.m. ET.
ABC’s Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts will lead the ceremony, with Carly Pearce and Cody Alan serving as hosts for CMT. Performers will include Brandi Carlile, the Gaithers, Emmylou Harris, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde and Allison Russell.
Judd’s daughters Ashley and Wynonna will take part in the proceedings, which will also include tributes from Bono, Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Martina McBride and Oprah Winfrey. Larry Strickland will also attend in memory of his wife Naomi.
The celebration will be executive produced by CMT’s Margaret Comeaux and Leslie Fram, as well as Sandbox Entertainment’s Jason Owen and Ladypants Productions’ Patrizia DiMaria.
“We are sincerely privileged to work alongside Wynonna, Ashley and Larry to present this live celebration of life for their mother and wife Naomi,” CMT producers previously said in a statement. “While we all continue to deeply mourn the loss of such a legendary artist, we are honored to commemorate her legacy alongside the country community, her friends, family and legions of fans across the world at the perfect venue: The Mother Church of Country Music. This special will celebrate her timeless voice, unforgettable spirit and the immense impact she left on our genre through the best form of healing we have – music.”
Just weeks prior to Naomi Judd’s death on April 30 at age 76, The Judds’ final performance of their signature hit “Love Can Build a Bridge” aired on the 2022 CMT Music Awards. On May 1, one day after Judd’s death, sisters Wynonna and Ashley Judd honored their mother as The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
As mother-daughter duo The Judds, Naomi and Wynonna earned 14 No. 1 songs on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, including “Love Can Build a Bridge,” “Mama He’s Crazy,” “Why Not Me” and more.
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