The Country Music Hall of Fame inducts Ray Charles and The Judds on Sunday night, though the death of Naomi Judd a day earlier made it an emotional ceremony.
What is normally a celebratory ceremony was also emotional after the loss of Naomi Judd.
The music played on as the genre’s singers and musicians mourned Naomi Judd while also celebrating the four inductees: The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers, and Pete Drake. Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, and many more performed their hit songs.
Daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd accepted the induction amid tears, holding onto each other and reciting a Bible verse together.
“I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” Ashley Judd said of her mother to the crowd while crying. Wynonna Judd talked about the family gathering as they said goodbye to her and she and Ashley Judd recited Psalm 23.
“Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing,” Wynonna Judd said.
Fans gathered outside the museum, drawn to a white floral bouquet outside the entrance and a small framed photo of Naomi Judd below. A single rose was laid on the ground.