Naomi Judd, mother of Grammy-winning The Judds duo Wynonna and Ashley Judd, died Saturday. She was 76 years old.
Actress Ashley Judd has confirmed her mother’s death. from twitter. “We lost our beautiful mother to mental illness,” he said, without specifying the cause of death.
Scott Adkins, a publicist, said Mrs. Judd died outside of Nashville on Saturday, but gave no more specific location.
Country music duo The Judds, consisting of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. They had just announced their final tour, which will begin in the fall, and their first time together in ten years.
The mother-daughter duo had 14 number 1 singles over a thirty-year career.
Judds’ hits include “Mama He’s Crazy”, “Why Not Me” (both in 1984); “Girl’s Night” (1985); “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” and “Grandpa” (both in 1986); “Loosen” (1988); and “Love Can Bridge” (1990).
They have won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven from the Academy of Country Music. They also won five Grammy Awards for hits like “Why Not Me” and “Give Some Love”.
The couple stopped performing and recording in 1991 after learning that Naomi Judd had hepatitis.
Miss Judd is survived by her two daughters and her husband, Larry Strickland, who is a backup singer for Elvis Presley.
In a news release announcing her upcoming tour this month, Ms. Judd said she looks forward to reconnecting with her fans and singing with her daughter Wynonna.
Referring to Wynonna, Ms. Judd said: “She asked me if I would still bend and toss and crack jokes. I replied, ‘Heck yes! I am too old to grow up now!”
This obituary will be updated.