On May 15, 2022, barely two weeks after Naomi Judd died at 76, the Ryman Auditorium filled up for Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration. The public memorial aired live and commercial-free on CMT, with Robin Roberts as host. Ashley Judd told the crowd that her mother had chosen the Ryman herself. The old wooden stage was covered in 2,500 pink roses.
One stretch of that evening was built around a single song. First, a video message from Bette Midler played inside the Mother Church. When it ended, Wynonna Judd and Brandi Carlile sang Bette’s signature song, “The Rose.”
What Bette Midler Said
Bette Midler wasn’t in the room. In her message, she offered love and support for “my beautiful friend Wynonna,” for Ashley, and for Naomi’s family, friends and fans. Then she went back to a memory: the time she stood on a stage in Nashville with Wynonna and sang “The Rose” together. Bette called it one of the highlights of her career.
She closed by speaking straight to Wynonna, and then to Naomi.
“Please sing it tonight, knowing I’m right behind you. And to my friend, Naomi, rest — finally — in peace.”
Then the song began.
The Duet Bette Was Remembering
The performance Bette described goes back to 1996 and Wynonna: Revelations, Wynonna’s first TV special as a solo artist. Bette Midler was her guest. She did a number of her own and then joined Wynonna for a duet on “The Rose.” Some fan uploads date the clip to 1997, but a Minneapolis Star Tribune review of the special ran in February 1996.
Several reports on the memorial loosely said Bette had sung it with “The Judds.” She hadn’t. That duet was Bette and Wynonna. Naomi was not part of it. That makes the 2022 moment even more striking: the song Wynonna sang for her mother came from her own solo years, not from the mother-daughter act.
How It Came Together in a Week
The whole memorial was built in about seven days. In an interview with Variety, producer Jason Owen of Sandbox Live explained that he sent Wynonna the old clip while she was mourning. He asked her, “Would you please, please do this song for me.” Her text back: “Yes, for you, I’ll do it.”
The first hope was that Bette would sing it with her again. Owen said her team tried, but it couldn’t work out logistically. Bette offered to record a video instead. According to Owen, she also sent a text that said “The Rose” will forever and always be Wynonna’s, should she ever want it.
Then Owen called Brandi Carlile. She said yes without hesitation. She even texted him a question: “Am I Bette, or am I Wynonna?”
Brandi Carlile had her own reasons to be there. She has said The Judds were her “first, second and third” concerts.
When the two women rehearsed on Sunday, they made Owen leave the Ryman. He wasn’t allowed to hear it until that night.
The Moment Wynonna Stopped
Wynonna Judd took the lead, with Brandi Carlile on harmony. Near the end, fighting back tears, Wynonna turned and stopped the band.
“It’s not as good as YouTube,” she said.
Then she went back and sang the final verse again, harder and fuller, while the crowd cheered her through it. Owen later said Wynonna always wants to give a hundred percent, and that emotion stopped her in that part of the song. When she went again, he said, “the whole place lost its mind.”
It is a rare thing to watch someone refuse to let a goodbye be anything less than her best.
After the Last Note
Later that night, Wynonna told the Ryman she would go ahead with The Judds’ final tour in her mother’s honor. She closed the memorial with “Love Can Build a Bridge,” a song Naomi co-wrote, and the audience sang it with her. As the last voices rang out, Wynonna tilted her head skyward and mouthed, “I love you.”