Larry Strickland has sold the Tennessee farm where his wife Naomi Judd died by suicide.
Larry Strickland has sold Tennessee farm where wife Naomi Judd died by suicide
The 76-year-old singer admitted he could no longer live at the property where his beloved wife died in 2022 after a battle with mental illness so he sold up and moved to Florida.
He told PEOPLE: "I had to get out of our home. We lived in this house and on the farm for 33 years, and so when all that happened with her, I couldn’t be there. I sold the house and the farm, and even though [stepdaughters] Ashley and Wynonna were still close by, I couldn’t be there.”
Larry then moved to Florida in the spring of 2023 and said he still feels Naomi close by.
He said: "Naomi and I both would spend our winters in West Palm, and we would usually just do an Airbnb or stay in a hotel, but I bought a condo here. I'm living on the beach. I've always wanted to do that.
“I think of her all the time. I know every time I walk on the beach, I'm walking with her because I know she would've loved to be here."
Larry - who toured and recorded with Elvis Presley as part of his backing vocalists group, The Stamps Quartet- revealed his own music career took a backseat to Naomi in later years as he helped with her management team and became her caretaker.
He said: "For years, I didn't have a lot of calls to be in the studio. For so many years, I had worked with Naomi and with her management team and traveled with her. And then in the latter years, I was her caretaker. I was there 24/7 to take care of her."
But now, Larry has returned to the studio to work with country artist Jillian Cardarelli on her new single 'If I Could Talk to Elvis'.
He explained: "When I went in the studio, I didn't have a clue of what I was going to be doing really, but it just came together. It was meant to be, I guess. The whole concept of the song is so unique that it itself got my attention. It brought back a lot of memories for me."