Naomi Judd’s husband Larry Strickland speaks for the first time in his late wife’s tribute

Naomi Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, knew how much his wife enjoyed meeting new people. On Sunday, Strickland spoke for the first time after his wife’s death as part of the CMT’s Naomi Judd: River of Time commemorative special.

“Naomi has never met a stranger,” Larry said on stage with Naomi’s daughters Ashley and Wynonna Judd. “My unfortunately, she started talking to someone who made eye contact with her, and while she talked to a stranger wholly about their passion and their dog, we were on the sidewalk 10, I stood for 20 or 30 minutes. “

Larry, who married Naomi in 1989, shared her wife’s recent solo flight from Georgia to Nashville, stating that she rarely flies alone. However, Naomi had to return to Nashville in time for the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony the day after his tragic death.

“I was really scared and died when I saw her flying alone from Vienna to Nashville, because I knew how fragile she was,” Larry said. “Well, she flew back to Nashville without any problems.”

Larry shared receiving an email from a man sitting with Naomi on the plane. He called the email “safety and comfort” before reading a message from a stranger. In the letter, the man admitted that he didn’t know Naomi was famous, but said, “The next 90 minutes we spent at each other’s company were not only interesting, fascinating, and enlightening, but at least. It was completely fun for me. “

“I think it’s a little comfort, but my life after meeting your wife looks much richer, but for a short while,” I read the letter.

Larry became emotional when he quoted the last part of a stranger’s memo. It emphasizes how much his deceased wife loves him.

“Obviously, I didn’t know Naomi at all, but I can say she was talking very warmly about you and the life you shared with you,” Larry wept. “She loved you and she wasn’t worried about telling me she was a stranger on the plane.”

The letter concludes with a man who confirms that Larry knows the “countermeasures and implications” that Naomi has given him in such a short amount of time. The emotional rally shared that the email “brought me great, great joy and comfort.”

Following his words, Wynonna and Ashley thanked the fans who stood by their mom from the beginning of her career. They also used that moment to “talk about what a salty single mom she is,” yelling at the family therapist and lightening the ceremony a bit.

“Naomi Judd: The River of Time” was held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, and was sponsored by Robin Roberts. Wynonna, Larry and Ashley sat in the front row, and guests such as Little Big Town, Brad Paisley and Carly Pearce went on stage to show off their tribute.

Wynonna concludes the ceremony with The Judds’ “Love Can Bridge” performance, announcing that the Judds tour scheduled for this summer is still going on. “That’s what Mom wanted,” Wynonna said.

Details from ET:

Wynonna Judd says the Judgment Tour will continue after Naomi’s death

Ashley and Wynonna Judd emotionally praise Mama Naomi at the CMT Memorial

Ashley Judd reveals cause of death for Mama Naomi