Naomi Judd, of Grammy-winning country music duo The Judds, dies at 76
- Judd died near Nashville, Tennessee, said a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland
- The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday and they had just announced an arena tour to begin in the autumn
Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died. She was 76.
The daughters announced her death on Saturday in a statement provided to Associated Press.
“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, said a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland. It said no further details about her death would be released and asked for privacy as the family grieves.
The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday and they had just announced an arena tour to begin in the autumn, their first tour together in over a decade. They also made a return to awards shows when they performed at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month.
“Honoured to have witnessed Love Can Build a Bridge just a few short weeks ago,” singer Maren Morris posted on Twitter on Saturday.
“This is heartbreaking news! Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known,” singer Travis Tritt posted on Twitter, noting that he had worked with Judd several times on screen and during performances.
The mother-daughter performers scored 14 number one songs in a career that spanned nearly three decades. After rising to the top of country music, they called it quits in 1991 after doctors diagnosed Naomi Judd with hepatitis C. Wynonna continued her solo career.