As she continues to grieve the loss of her mother Naomi, Wynonna Judd has a strong support system to lean on, no one more supportive than her husband.
Judd, 58, opens up to PEOPLE in this week’s edition about his special bond with Cactus Moser, 65, whom he married in 2012 after decades of friendship.
“He’s the toughest, gentlest man I’ve ever been with who I trust,” she says. “We’re so connected. It’s crazy how connected we are. I trust him with my life, which, I can’t always say that about the men in my life.”
Jim Wright Cactus Moser and Wynonna Judd
RELATED: Wynonna Judd Says Tour Is Healing After Mom Naomi’s Death: ‘I Want People To Know There Is Hope’
Judd, who kicked off The Judds: The Final Tour on September 30, was married twice before she and Moser started dating in late 2009. The “Not Me” singer says the drummer is the reason she keeps feeling hope.
“He takes my hands and says, ‘Honey, you’ve done your best.’ And I start crying,” says Judd. “And he’s right. I’ve done the best I could. He helps give me a break, because I’m going to try to be very eloquent or I’m going to try to say something brilliant or I’m going to try to find the right answer and he’s going to be like, ‘Honey? Stop. He takes a breath.'”
For Judd, having the drummer on hand to calm her down has been a huge relief, especially after the death of her mother in April.
“Sometimes I just need to stop and take a breath,” she says. “I’m so hard on myself. I was always taught to do better, do better, do better. And sometimes he’s like, ‘Honey, your best is good enough.'”
Jim Wright Wynonna Judd on the cover of PEOPLE
RELATED: Wynonna Judd on Mom Naomi: “As determined as she was to live, she was determined to die”
The pair first met while on tour together in the 1980s (he was the drummer for Highway 101) and rekindled their bond decades later. Their ability to stay by each other’s side is nothing new; In August 2012, just a few months after their wedding, Moser was injured in a motorcycle accident and had his left leg amputated above the knee. At the time, Judd called her husband a “champion” and said she would not “give up on her side” for her.
As he heads out on his stadium tour, Judd is also making room for another love in his life: his granddaughter Kaliyah, who was born just two weeks before Naomi’s death.
Watch the full episode of People Cover Story: Wynonna Judd below or on the PeopleTV app.
“Somebody said, ‘Are you mad?’ I said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m mad. My granddaughter was born 12 days before she left. I’m mad,'” recalls Judd, who is mother to Grace, 26, mother to Kaliyah, 6 months. and hers son Elijah, 27, with her first husband, Arch Kelley III. “But then I realized… that there is some real joy in there and to celebrate the joy as much as I can. That’s part of the reason I’m doing the tour.”
Judd will continue to tour through October 29 and has enlisted country stars like Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Brandi Carlile, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde and Trisha Yearwood to join her.
“I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for over 38 years, who continue to show up when I need them most,” Wynonna said in a statement in May. “I am grateful that we will continue to honor the legacy of The Judds, together.”
For all the details on Wynonna Judd’s journey through grief, check out the latest issue of PEOPLEon newsstands around the world on Friday.