The Judds, comprised of Naomi and daughterWynonna, were planning a final tour and a documentary with music industry veteran Jason Owen when Naomi Judd died. Owen is also an executive producer on Monarch and says that the similarities are purely coincidence and that Sarandon’sMonarchscenes were filmed months before Judd’s death.
“What feels like art imitating life is really just one of the strangest, saddest, eeriest coincidences I’ve seen,” Owen tells PEOPLE.
Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins.FOX
When Owen was dreaming up the character’s funeral, it was crucial to him and creator Melissa London Hilfers that the fanfare harkened back to other high-profile sendoffs like those forJohnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and George Jones. He explains Dottie is the fanciful Queen of Country Music, so she is deserving of a legendary country funeral.
“They’re icons, and they deserve these big celebrations of life,” he says. “That’s where we got the idea for the over-the-top funeral.”
Jason Owen.Terry Wyatt/Getty
Owen chose most of the music for the show, including “Love Can Build a Bridge” in the funeral scene. A Judds fan since childhood, Owen had beenworking on The Judds tourand thought it was a way to remind people of the duo’s music. He also needed a song that would allow Dottie and her sister, Nellie, to sing it together.
“The Judds are literally my favorite of all time,” he says. “I was producing their whole tour, and theyhad their last performance, which was ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ on CMT. Then the tragic events start to unfold. It’s just another unbelievable coincidence. But it’s also something I care deeply about — what Wynonna and the family thought.”
Owen also produced Judd’s funeral for CMT. When he was in the middle of planning her final arrangements through his grief and shock, all he could think about was making sure every detail was perfect so the family would feel at peace. The striking similarities between art and reality hit him after the funeral when he was back to work watching cuts ofMonarchepisodes.
“Out of friendship, love and respect for the Judd Family, I called Wynonna and Greg Hill, [manager for the Naomi Judd Estate], to make sure they were aware ofMonarchand its storyline well before it aired.”
The Judds were Owen’s first concert as a child, and he had started to feel like he was part of their family through working so closely with them in recent years. It was his idea to bring them back and produce a final tour, which he thought would be Naomi’s last time on stage. He wanted to make sure they had the legacy they deserved.
“I was in their life for these big moments of return when we put the arena tour on sale, and it basically sold out. Then they have this amazing comeback at the CMT Awards, where all the artists are fawning over them. It was exactly how I wanted people to be reminded of how amazing these two women are. I’ve been there for all the highs. I’m also now part of their biggest low.”
Naomi and Wynonna Judd.The Tyler Twins
“Right now, we are all living in a really divided country,” Owen says. “When times are tough, you look for something to sort of give you a break from all the noise. That’s one of the things that I loved about the classic old soaps fromDynastytoDallas. I hope people get the same sort of enjoyment and escape fromMonarch. It’s a very fun, over-the-top Texas-sized drama that showcases country music and its big stars in a way that is very glamorous with big hair, amazing clothes, incredible scandals and great music. It’s all I dreamed it would be.”
Monarchairs at 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on FOX.
source: people.com
