Singer Naomi Judd Dies At 76 Due To Mental Illness

Singer Naomi Judd dies at 76 years old.
Her daughters say she passed away due to “the disease of mental illness.”
The Judds were going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Singer Naomi Judd, best known for being a part of the Grammy-winning group The Judds, has passed away. Her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd released a statement confirming their mother’s death at age 76.

They wrote, “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.”

Matriarch Naomi Judd dies at 76 years old

THE JUDDS FAREWELL CONCERT, from left: Wynonna Judd, Naomi Judd, (aired December 4, 1991). ph: ©PBS / courtesy Everett Collection

The news comes just before The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this Sunday. They were also set to begin their first tour in over a decade this fall. The mother-daughter duo performed for decades until taking a break in the ’90s after Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis. Some of their biggest hits include “Girls Night Out,” “Mama He’s Crazy,” and “Love Can Build a Bridge.”

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FAMILY TREE, Naomi Judd, 1999, (c)Independent Artists/courtesy Everett Collection

Naomi was a nurse before she started singing with Wynonna professionally. Between 1984 and 1991, they released six studio albums and an EP and earned over 20 awards for their music. Naomi is also survived by her husband, singer Larry Strickland.