The country music icon passed away at the age of 76. Her famous daughters, Ashley and Wynonna, called the death a ‘tragedy.’ Naomi Judd passed away on Saturday, April 30 at the age of 76. The country music icon, who came from humble beginnings in Kentucky, rose to fame in the 80s as part of the mother/daughter duo The Judds alongside her first-born child Wynonna Judd. Wynonna and Naomi’s other daughter Ashley Judd released a statement about the heartbreaking news.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement read. “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.” At this time, the cause of death has yet to be reported.
Naomi and Wynonna were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. The honor comes on the heels of the duo announcing a tour to begin in the fall, the first tour for The Judds in over a decade. And last month, they made their first major awards show performance in over two decades, playing at the CMT Music Awards.