'I kissed her': Wynonna Judd recalls her last words to mother Naomi after she died by suicide

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: The 2023 People's Choice Country Awards featured heart-wrenching performances by Wynonna Judd.

The 59-year-old country icon appeared on stage at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House during Thursday's broadcast, where she received the Country Champion Award at the opening ceremony of the program.

Wynonna Judd recalls Naomi Judd's death

In a stirring acceptance speech at the first-ever 2023 People's Choice Country Awards, Judd recalled the terrible day when her mother Naomi Judd died.

Naomi Judd died from self-inflicted gunshot wound 

On Thursday, September 28, Wynonna shared the final thing she said to her mother before she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30, 2022, as reported by OkMagazine.

Wynonna Judd 'kissed' Naomi Judd when she died

The 59-year-old sorrowfully detailed as she was presented with the Country Champion Award in Nashville, "I went to her house, and she died there, but we followed the ambulance anyway to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. And I walked into the room and I held her in my arms and I kissed her on the forehead, shut her eyes and said, 'I love you mom."

Judd showed up at Country Music Hall of Fame day after her mother died

Following Naomi's tragic death, Wynonna described what she did next, "And I walked out of that room, went home, got up the next morning and showed up at the Country Music Hall of Fame to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. You know why? Because that's how much we love music regardless of what has happened to me and who I show up and I show out."

Although Naomi's tragic suicide undoubtedly had an impact on her family, Wynonna said in a red carpet interview that she is "turning [her] pain into purpose" rather than allowing the "devastation" of Naomi's death to take over her life.

How Wynonna Judd moved on after Naomi Judd's death?

The 'No One Else On Earth' vocalist explained how she has been able to move on more than a year after Naomi's tragic suicide: "I go on stage every night and I sing like it's my last show because you never know."

Wynonna responded when asked what receiving the Country Champion Award for her contributions to music and charity means to her: "It means that my son and daughter realize how hard I've worked and it pays off."

"It's easy to stand up here with sparkles and hair and everything grand," the mother of Elijah, 28, and Grace, 27, acknowledged, adding, "but I'll go home tonight and wake up, get on a plane, and fly to Denver to do one show — because that's what we do."