Naomi Judd, Grammy-Winning Musician and Mother of Ashley & Wynonna, Dies at 76

By Spencer Perry

Naomi Judd, the Grammy-winning singer of The Judds and mother to actress Ashley Judd (Double Jeopardy, A Time to Kill) and collaborator/fellow musician/Wynonna Judd, has passed away. A statement from the family confirmed the news, revealing that Naomi passed away on today ahead of her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame which was due to take place tomorrow, Sunday, May 1. The statement reads: "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." Naomi was 76 at the time of her death.

Born Diana Ellen Judd on January 11, 1946, the musician didn't get her start in the recording industry until the mid-1980s when she and daughter Wynonna formed the musical duo. The pair skyrocketed to success early, earning 15 #1 hits across their career with singles like "Mama He's Crazy," "Why Not Me," "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain," "I Know Where I'm Going," and "Let Me Tell You About Love." The pair abruptly concluded their regular touring and recording schedule in the early 1990s after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

The Judds would later reunite however, performing the Super Bowl XXVIII halftime show in additional to various festivals throughout the 2000s. They would also be the subject of a short lived reality TV series on the Oprah Winfrey Network which chronicled them preparing for a reunion tour. Across her musical career with Wynonna as The Judds they won five Grammy Awards, including three in a row from 1985 to 1987. The pair also won nine Country Music Association Awards and eight Academy of Country Music awards (taking home Top Vocal Duo seven years in a row).

Naomi Judd did dabble in a career on the big and small screen, making her film debut in the George Lucas-produced More American Graffiti. She would later make appearances on sitcoms like 3rd Rock from the Sun and Frasier, plus shows including Touched by an Angel, and TV movies including A Holiday Romance, The Killing Game, and An Evergreen Christmas. Her final credit was in an episode of the Lifetime series V.C. Andrews' Landry Family.

Our thoughts are with the Judd family during this difficult time.

(Cover Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT)

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