Fading Country Star Wynonna Judd Accused of 'Desperately Riding Coattails of Tragedy' of Mom Naomi's Shotgun Suicide

Wynonna Judd is squeezing every last buck she can out of her partnership with her late mom, Naomi, RadarOnline.com can report, nearly three years after the tortured singer took her own life in her home.

The Grammy Award winner paid a special tribute to her mom on what would have been her 79th birthday.

However, insiders tell RadarOnline.com Wynonna's true intentions were more financial than sentimental.

The source said: "Naomi and Wynonna were partners, and to be honest, without her mom, Wynonna just isn't as popular. So she's doing everything to keep her mother's image, memory, and merchandise out in front of everything she does.

"It's good for business!"

After a lifetime battling depression, Naomi killed herself on April 30, 2022, just weeks before she was set to hit the road with her daughter for a reunion tour of The Judds. During their 1980s heyday, the duo scored 14 No. 1 hits, including such classics as Mama He's Crazy and Love Is Alive.

But their relationship was stormy, particularly in Naomi's last days, as a source said she was suffering from "mental anguish and trepidation over the tour."

When Naomi shot herself, she left a damning note shockingly stating: "Don't let Wy come to my funeral. She's mentally ill."

While Wynonna did attend her mother's memorial service, the source reiterated that it marked a sad end to a painful mother-daughter partnership that was fraught with bitterness and fighting.

The insider revealed: "Wynonna and Naomi could hold such animosity toward one another. They could go months without speaking, even though they lived on adjoining properties.

"People thought Wynonna saw her mother as a cash cow and was forcing her to work even through her mental trauma, pushing her to the brink."

Naomi took her final shots at her daughter in her suicide note and will. Sources say she didn't leave anything to Wynonna or Wy's sister, actress Ashely Judd, opting instead to give the entire $25million estate to second husband Larry Strickland0.

Wynonna still cashed in on her mom by hitting the road with a tribute tour, singing The Judds' biggest hits with country stars including Kelsea Ballerini, Martina McBride, and Tanya Tucker.

Wynonna previously said the tour, which was so popular it was extended by 15 dates, really helped her grieve as well.

She told the Hollywood Reporter: Wynonna and Naomi announced their 10-show trek in the weeks leading up to the performer's death. Naomi took her life just one day before she was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Insiders have claimed that Naomi was in "mental anguish" over facing a farewell tour that was set to kick off last fall amid struggles with her personal well-being.

Wynonna said that after Naomi's death, she anticipated this tour was going to be "more about mom and the memorial part of it."

After hitting the stage, she said there were times when people were singing every word of the song and she would "stand back from the microphone" and listen to their voices filling the room, describing the experience as "otherworldly."

"It was not a show, it was not a performance. It was a celebration of life. And it really took me to a place that I wasn't expecting," added Wynonna, noting that she and Naomi had started to do wardrobe fittings prior to her suicide.

As a family friend explained: "Wy didn't want to miss a lucrative opportunity."

So it looks like another tour is on tap.

The friend added: "She plays clubs, small theaters, and casinos as a solo act, but putting The Judds name on her tour gets her big arena gigs."

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988