Melissa Etheridge on touring with Wynonna Judd, grief and making music ’till we can’t’

Melissa Etheridge and country music legend Wynonna Judd have done the “impossible”: They’ve spent the summer sharing a stage on their joint Raised on Radio Tour.

“They don’t know how hard it is to coordinate two artists to get together and do something. It’s almost impossible,” Melissa told ABC News’ Ashan Singh in an interview that aired Tuesday on Nightline. “Where we’re at in our life right now, this is something we want to come out and do.”

“We were all raised on radio,” Wynonna added. “I remember hearing my song for the first time on the radio. Everybody has a memory. And everybody in the audience, when I sing ’80s and ’90s, they go nuts.”

And Melissa, who came out publicly in 1993, loves hearing about their fans’ memories during that time.

“Thirty-three years later, I still have people telling me that in high school it meant so much that there was someone who was out,” she said. “You can’t take that away from me.”

Wynonna and Melissa have both experienced devastating lost. Wynonna’s mother and musical partner, Naomi Judd, died by suicide in 2022. Melissa’s son Beckett Cypher died in 2020 at age 21 from causes related to opioid addiction.

“Losing a child is devastating. There’s not even a word for it in the English language,” Melissa said. “The best thing you can do for your child, or for the memory of that child, is to take care of yourself, to find your joy, because they’re out of pain now.”

And for Melissa, finding her joy means making music. 

“Music is never over. I don’t understand how people say they retire, because I don’t think that’s a word,” she said. “That’s like saying I’m going to stop using my right arm. And you don’t. We’ll just make music till we can’t.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org or dial the current toll-free number 800-273-8255 [TALK].