Kentucky-born, Grammy-award-winning singer Naomi Judd had died at the age of 76. Daughters Wynnona and Ashley made the announcement to the Associated Press today.
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 statement did not offer any further details pertaining to Naomi’s death.
On Sunday, The Judds will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the fall, the dua was also slated to begin its first tour in over a decade.
The mother-daughter duo earned 14 number one hits over 30 years. In 1991, Judd was diagnosed with hepatitis and The Judds called it quits.
When the duo began singing together, Naomi was a nurse. Wynnona and her mother created a unique sound when their voices and acoustic sounds blended together and her new career as a singer began. Between 1984 and 1991, the duo produced six albums and an EP. They won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven awards from the Country Music Academy. They also won five Grammys.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
AP News: Naomi Judd, of Grammy-winning duo The Judds, dies at 76; Kristin M. Hall
NBC News: Naomi Judd, of Grammy-winning duo The Judds, dies at 76; by Minyvonne Burke and The Associated Press
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