Judd’s daughters announced her death in a statement on Saturday, a day before Judd was due to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” the statement said. “We lost our beautiful mother to mental illness. “We are devastated. We are going through deep sadness and we know that as we loved her, she was loved by her audience. We are in unknown territory. “ The statement did not provide further details. The Judds have just announced an arena tour that will begin in the fall, their first tour in more than a decade. They returned to the awards when they appeared at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month. “I’m honored to see Love Can Build a Bridge just a few weeks ago,” singer Maren Morris tweeted on Saturday. “This is heartbreaking news,” singer Travis Tritt said, noting that she has worked with Jade several times on screen and in acting. “Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I have ever met.” The mother-daughter couple recorded 14 No. 1 songs in a career that lasted almost three decades. After rising to the top of country music, he suffered a reversal in 1991 after doctors diagnosed Naomi Judd with hepatitis. Successes include Love Can Build a Bridge in 1990, Mama He’s Crazy in 1984, Why Not Me in 1984, Turn It Loose in 1988, Girls Night Out in 1985, Rockin ‘With the Rhythm of the Rain in 1986 and Grandpa in 1986. Ashley Judd, Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd appeared at a charity gala in New York. Photo: Theo Wargo / WireImage Born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky, Naomi was working as a nurse when she and Wynonna began singing professionally together. Their unique harmonies and elements of acoustic music, bluegrass and blues made them stand out in the genre. “We had such a stamp of originality in what we were trying to do,” Naomi Judd told the Associated Press after it was announced that the Judds would join the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Judds released six studio albums and an EP between 1984 and 1991, winning nine Country Music Association Awards and seven from the Academy of Country Music. They have won five Grammy Awards, for hits such as Why Not Me and Give A Little Love. The Judds sang about family, faith in marriage, and the virtue of faith. Because Naomi was so young, she was often confused with her sisters. Ashley Judd is known for movies like Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and Heat. Naomi Judd has also survived her husband, Larry Strickland, who was a singer for Elvis Presley.
