Charles Jordan is best known for being Wynonna Judd’s biological father.
Jordan became a father early after fathering Wynonna with Naomi Judd. However, he was not ready for the trials of fatherhood, so he took off. It led to Naomi keeping a secret from her daughter for decades as she decided Wynonna would only understand when she was old and mature.
What Happened Between Naomi Judd and Charles Jordan?
Jordan and Naomi dated when they were both young. According to reports, she had been 18 when she became pregnant with Wynonna.
When their child arrived, Jordan ditched her, leaving her to raise the kid alone. Afraid of being a single parent, Naomi rushed into another relationship. She married another man named Michael Ciminella and gave his surname to Wynonna, tricking her into thinking he was her biological father.
Naomi and Ciminella welcomed another girl while together and named her Ashley Judd. Unfortunately, their marriage was troubled, and within four years, it unraveled, leaving Naomi in a much worse situation.
She now had two kids to fend for and was a single parent. It was not an easy time for Naomi or the girls. As a single parent, Naomi struggled to keep her girls fed with her paycheck as a nurse until she started her career as a singer.
Reports claim they would wear second-hand clothes back then and sometimes live without electricity in a remote town in Kentucky. After Naomi left Ciminella, Wynonna stopped using his surname and reverted to Judd. Much later in her adult life, Wynonna would find out her mother had been lying and that she had another father.
Did Charles Jordan Reunite With Wynonna Judd?
No. Wynonna was 39 when Naomi told her that Charles Jordan was her father. After learning the truth, she started searching for him.
Wynonna believed that she needed answers as she felt her life was incomplete, so she continued to search for Jordan and eventually found him after a long time. Sadly, they never met because Jordan passed on from a heart attack one month before their meeting.
Jordan, born on January 2, 1945, succumbed to a heart attack on August 10, 2000. It happened at his home in Louisa, Kentucky, and he was buried at Pine Hill Cemetery.
Wynonna Judd and Charles Jordan’s Son
In 2020, Wynonna found out Jordan had fathered another child named Michael with a different woman long before his demise. In an interview, she revealed the great news and stated they were only three years apart.
Wynonna may not have been lucky enough to meet her father in person. However, thanks to his son, she has learned much about his family. The two estranged siblings got reunited over a phone call. Wynonna reached out to Michael on his birthday but did not know how he reacted to her call or if she would ever meet him physically.
More than twenty years after Jordan passed, his baby mama, Naomi, also died, aged 76. Her demise happened just a day before her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, shocking many.
What Happened to Naomi Judd?
Naomi Judd passed away in 2022; according to her autopsy, it was a suicide. A report revealed that she died from a single gunshot wound in her Tennessee home on April 30.
Her daughters, Ashley Judd, and Wynonna Judd, announced the tragic news in an emotional statement: “Today, we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered.”
The statement further stated that they were navigating profound grief and claimed they were in “unknown territory.” While alive, Naomi was a mental health advocate who often strived to create mental health awareness, especially for suicidal patients.
Unfortunately, although she championed such a cause, Naomi was not immune to mental health problems. According to the statement her family released after her demise, she dealt with PTSD and bipolar disorder in her lifetime.
Her death hurt many people, including her daughters, who had to deal with the fallout. They are in a better place now and have kept Naomi alive through their memories of her.