Her death occurred just days before The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Naomi Judd of The Judds, a Grammy-winning musician, has died at the age of 76.
Judd’s daughters released a statement on Saturday announcing her death.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement said. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.”
Naomi Judd died near Nashville, Tennessee, according to a statement issued by her husband, fellow singer Larry Strickland. It stated that no further information about her death would be released and requested privacy as the family grieves.
The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, and they had just announced a fall arena tour, their first in over a decade. They also made a comeback to award shows, performing at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month.
On Saturday, singer Maren Morris posted on Twitter, “Praised to have witnessed “Love Can Build a Bridge” just a few short days earlier.”
“This is a sad piece of info! Naomi Judd was one of the most wonderful individuals I’d ever met “On Twitter, singer Travis Tritt stated that he had worked with Judd on television and during performances multiple times.
Over the course of their nearly three-decade career, the mother-daughter duo had 14 No. 1 hits. After achieving the pinnacle of country music, they decided to call it quits in 1991 after Naomi Judd was diagnosed with hepatitis C. Wynonna’s solo career continued.
“Love Can Build a Bridge” was a song for the Judds in 1990, “Mama He’s Crazy” was a blockbuster in 1984, “Why Not Me” was a hit in 1984, “Turn It Loose” was a hit in 1988, “Girls Night Out” was a hit in 1985, “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” was a hit in 1986, and “Grandpa” was a hit in
Naomi, who was born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky, was working as a nurse in Nashville when she met Wynonna. Their distinctive harmonies, along with acoustic, bluegrass, and blues components, helped them stand out in the genre at the time.
Following the success of “Mama He’s Crazy,” “At the 1984 CMA Awards, they received the Horizon Award. Naomi began her speech by saying “Spit in the fire and slap the dog!”
Naomi Judd was candid about her health issues, which included severe depression and anxiety. In her memoir, “River of Time,” she mentioned becoming diagnosed with hep C, and she said that she contracted accidentally while working at a hospital. Her doctors told her in 1995 that she was completely free of the virus.
When she returned home following a 2010 reunion tour, she felt as if she had lost her identity, isolating herself at home and battling with terrible panic attacks, according to her memoir. She also admitted to having been traumatized by sexual abuse as a child. She was admitted to a hospital’s psychiatric ward and completed an outpatient treatment program.
Ashley Judd is an actress and philanthropist who has appeared in films such as “Kiss the Girls,” “Double Jeopardy,” and “Heat.”
Strickland was married to Naomi Judd for 32 years and was a backup singer for Elvis Presley.
