Photo: Getty Images
Ashley Judd shared a heartfelt tribute to her sister, music legend Wynonna Judd, who celebrates her 60th birthday on Thursday (May 30).
Ashley, 56, acknowledged that many people know Wynonna for her powerful voice and her career as an artist, both for her solo work and as one-half of the beloved mother-daughter duo The Judds with her late mother, Naomi Judd. Ashley, however, knows Wynonna as much more than a Country Music Hall of Famer and “the GOAT.” She reflected on some sweet childhood memories in a video she posted on Instagram on Thursday.
“Today is an auspicious day. It is my big sister’s 60th birthday,” Ashley said. “To y’all, she’s the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Time. To me, she’s the one with whom I compared my mosquito bites, checked our tans in Mamaw and Papaw’s basement, and caught crawdads in the creek at Aunt Pauline and Uncle Landon’s farm in Lawrence County, Kentucky. She was my protector when there was that earthquake when we lived in West Hollywood, and the one with whom I walked through many difficult trials and tribulations, loneliness, poverty, some food insecurity, and here we are with the extraordinary lives that we have today. My big sister is one hell of a woman. She’s a grandmother. And can you imagine growing up in the house with that voice? I was 4 years old listening to her sing to Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, The Andrews Sisters, and Led Zeppelin. To y’all, she’s a legend. To me, she’s sister. So, happy birthday. I love you. Holding your hand is my sweet, safe place. I’m always beside you.
“Love,” she paused to laugh, “your Honey Bunny. Happy birthday!”
Wynonna was quick to respond to her sister’s tribute: “Crying. I love you.”
Watch Ashley’s video here: