Oprah and Bono to join 'River of Time' Naomi Judd tribute telecast (original) (raw)
Oprah, Bono, Morgan Freeman, more to join Naomi Judd's family on CMT's River of Time tribute telecast
Robin Roberts will host guests that also include Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Salma Hayek, and the Gaithers.
Published on May 13, 2022 10:02AM EDT
Celebrities from all corners of the industry will unite this Sunday to honor the memory of late country superstar Naomi Judd.
CMT announced Friday that journalist and Judd family friend Robin Roberts will host Sunday's Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, a live telecast featuring celebrity guests and performances, as well as a special message from the late singer's daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd.
Oprah, Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman, Martina McBride, and Bono are set for appearances across the broadcast, with performances scheduled from Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell, Little Big Town, and the Gaithers.
Carly Pearce and Cody Alan will provide commentary for CMT, while Naomi's husband, Larry Strickland, will also appear.
CMT has added Oprah, Bono, and more to Naomi Judd's 'River of Time' tribute special. Steve Granitz/WireImage; Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Naomi died April 30 from a self-inflicted firearm wound, her daughter Ashley revealed in an ABC interview with Diane Sawyer earlier this week that aired after the singer's daughters released a joint statement saying they lost their mother to "the disease of mental illness."
"My mother knew that she was seen and she was heard in her anguish and that she was walked home," the actress told Sawyer. "When we're talking about mental illness, it's very important to be clear and to make the distinction between our loved one and the disease. It's very real and it lies. It's savage that my mother — our mother — couldn't hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers. That is the level of catastrophe that was going on inside of her."
The Country Music Hall of Fame later inducted the Judds one day after Naomi's death.
"I'm sorry that she couldn't hang on until today," Ashley said through tears as the siblings accepted their mother's induction at the Hall of Fame ceremony, according to the Associated Press. Added Wynonna: "Though my heart is broken, I will continue to sing."
As part of the 2022 CMT Awards, the network previously aired Wynonna's final performance of "Love Can Build a Bridge" with her mother as the legendary two-woman duo the Judds.
Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration airs Sunday at 6 p.m. ET/PT on CMT, live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Watch the special's promo clip above.
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