Inside Naomi Judd and Larry Strickland's 33-year marriage as late singer leaves him $25M fortune
Naomi Judd who died at 76 on Saturday, April 30, after a long battle with mental illness chose to make her widowed husband Larry Strickland the executor of her will, leaving out her daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd from the same. Her $25 million wealth, which could be attributed to the success she enjoyed along with her daughter Wynonna, is now in the hands of her husband. Naomi died just six days before her 33rd anniversary with Larry Strickland.
The day was May 6, 1989, when the 76-year-old five-time Grammy award winner walked down the aisle of Christ Church in Nashville to marry Larry Strickland. The spring ceremony was beautiful and Judd's daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, served as bridesmaids. Wynonna, apart from serving as the bridesmaid, also performed at the wedding along with band member Don Potter. Judd was previously married to Michael Ciminella, Ashley Judd's father, while Wynonna's father is Charles Jordan. Naomi Judd's marriage with Ciminella marriage ended in divorce in 1972.
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Inside Judd and Strickland's relationship
Judd and Strickland were married for 32 years, which is a big feat to be achieved in any relationship. Naomi once explained the secret behind their relationship, i.e., the similarities in their origins. She told Closer Weekly back in 2013, "We come from common backgrounds. Larry and I are both from a family of six, very blue-collar. He worked in the tobacco fields every summer. My daddy had his own gas station and taught me the hard-work ethic. Larry is the most humble person I’ve ever met.” She also joked how the secret to making it happen was to have "separate bathrooms".
During CMT's Naomi Judd: A River of Time memorial special on Sunday at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Strickland took the stage to remember her successful wife. He said, "Naomi never met a stranger. Much to my displeasure, she would start a conversation with anyone who made eye contact with her, and we would end up standing 10, 20, 30 minutes on a sidewalk while she talked to a complete stranger about their passions and their dog."
Naomi Judd also stated in her will that if Strickland was unable to be the executor, then her brother-in-law, Reginald Strickland, and Daniel Kris Wiatr, the president of Wiatr & Associates, would be the co-executor of her will.