On April 30th, Naomi Judd, Grammy award-winning country artist and matriarch of the Judds, passed away. She was 76.
The Judds broke out onto the country scene in the 1980s and consisted of Naomi and her daughter, Wynonna Judd, as the lead vocalist. They were one of the most accomplished musical acts in the genre and won five Grammys, as well as nine CMA awards. Over their career, they had fourteen number 1 hits. The duo had many active years with several breaks; their latest performance was at the 2022 CMT Music Awards.
They even had a fall arena tour planned for this year
Country music lost a true legend…sing with the angels, Naomi!!! We’re all sending up prayers for the Judd family today…
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) April 30, 2022
“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 the public. We are in unknown territory,” according to a statement from Wynonna and her sister Ashley, AP reported.
On Sunday, May 1st, the Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Other inductees included Pete Drake, Eddie Bayers, and Ray Charles.
The Judd daughters accepted the induction. “I’m sorry that she couldn’t hand on until today,” Ashely stated.