‘Monarch’ Showrunner Says Similarities to Naomi Judd’s Tragic Death a Coincidence
Monarch, the new Fox series about death and betrayal within a famous country music family, premiered on September 11. Fans of the show, who are likely also fans of country music, would be blind not to note the shocking similarities the pilot had with the tragedy of Naomi Judd‘s final days.
The country icon, who sang with daughter Wynonna Judd in the duo The Judds, passed away in April at the age of 75 from a self-inflicted firearm wound. And in the premiere episode of the new family drama, matriarch Dottie Roman, played by Susan Sarandon donning a red bouffant of hair similar to Judd’s signature look, takes her own life. The song played at Dottie’s funeral is also a Judd song, “Love Can Build A Bridge ” — which happens to be the exact same song Judd requested be played at her funeral.
As eerie as it all sounds, Monarch showrunner Jon Feldman tells Deadline the similarities are indeed just an unfortunate coincidence. By the time Judd passed away, the series had already wrapped production on its first season.
The Judd Family: Ashley, Naomi, and Wynonna (Evan Agostini/Getty Images For YouthAIDS)
“Until the death of Naomi, which was really the most tragic and eerie of coincidences, there were no [similarities] between the Romans and the Judds,” Feldman says. “The Romans are a fictional first family of country. But really, the turn of events of Naomi’s death was something no one could have predicted.
“Jason Owen, who was a producer on our show and was heavily involved in production and music, was also very close to the Judds and was involved in the producing of her real-life funeral,” he continues. “No one knew that Naomi had made that decision to have that song. We were already done with our production by the time she passed away. Our cast had scattered all around the world and production was over. So we didn’t have an opportunity to reshoot anything.”
Monarch, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox
