🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Naomi Judd was known for her award-winning duo The Judds with daughter Winona and the mother of movie star Ashley Judd. The family announced Saturday that Naomi, the family matriarch, has passed away. She was 76.
Naomi Judd's death comes one day before The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Here's what Ashley tweeted Saturday afternoon.
"Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. 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."
The mother-daughter duo of The Judds had 14 No. 1 songs in their lengthy tenure. Naomi stepped away from music in 1991 after she was diagnosed with hepatitis.
In 2016, Naomi opened up about her mental health issues in her book, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope.
The family released a formal statement to the Associated Press on Saturday, which was the same message relayed by Ashley on Instagram and Twitter. Naomi's husband of 32 years, Larry Strickland, said the family requests privacy.
"Naomi Judd's family request privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time," Strickland said in a statement to People.
The exact cause of Naomi's death hasn't been released.
The Judds first gained national popularity during their appearances in the early 1980s on Ralph Emery's morning show. They shot into stardom with hits: "Love Can Build a Bridge," "Mama He's Crazy," "Why Not Me," "Turn It Loose," "Girls Night Out," "Rockin' With the Rhythm of the Rain" and "Grandpa."
WInona continued her solo career after her mother's retirement. Ashley became popular for her role in movies like "Kiss the Girls," ″Double Jeopardy" and "Heat."
"We had a such a stamp of originality on what we were trying to do," Naomi Judd told The AP after learning of their induction into the Hall of Fame.
The Judds recently announced they would have a 10-date arena tour dubbed The Final Tour. It was set to kick off September 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and conclude with a finale on October 28 in Nashville.
Tributes for Naomi began pouring in Saturday after the announcement of her death, starting with country music group The Oak Ridge Boys.
"Oh Sweet Jesus... Naomi Judd has gone home ... the day before the Judds @countrymusichof induction ... This is divesting news... We are saddened beyond words..."
"I had the honor of meeting Naomi Judd years ago and she was so incredibly kind. Sending love and prayers to Wynonna, Ashley, and the whole Judd family during this time. I never thought she'd go," Kristin Chenoweth tweeted with a broken heart emoji at the end.
Country music star Travis Tritt tweeted, "This is heartbreaking news! Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I've ever known. I had the honor of working with her in movies and numerous musical events. My deepest heartfelt condolences go out to her family."
About the writer
Scott McDonald is a Newsweek deputy night editor based in Cape Coral, Florida. His focus is assigning and writing stories ... Read more