Country music icon Naomi Judd dies at 76

American singer-songwriter Naomi Judd died at the age of 76 on Saturday.

While the exact cause of her death was not revealed, her daughters, Ashley and Wynonna Judd, said that they lost their mother “to the disease of mental illness.”

“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the sisters said in a statement provided to AP. 

“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,” they added. 

The Kentucky-born country singer was one of ‘The Judds’, a Grammy-winning mother-daughter duo.  

Also Read: Who was Mary Jane Thomas? Country music icon Hank Williams Jr’s wife dies at 58

‘The Judds’ were formally invited to the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. 

During their collaborative music career that spanned almost three decades, Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd managed to bag the No. 1 song rank 14 times. 

In 1991, after years of topping charts, the duo decided to quit after Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis.

Also Read: Dolly Parton withdraws Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination

The Judds, who often appeared like sisters to some, sang about domestic life, loyalty and marriage. 

 ‘Mama He’s Crazy’ (1984), ‘Why Not Me’ (1984), ‘Girls Night Out’ (1985), ‘Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain’ (1986), ‘Grandpa’ (1986), ‘Turn It Loose’ (1988), and ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ (1990) are some of their most popular hits.   

They won several accolades including nine Country Music Association Awards and seven Academy of Country Music awards. They also bagged five Grammy Awards in total for hits like ‘Give A Little Love’ and ‘Why Not Me’.

Also Read: Grammys 2022: Looking back at all Taylor Swift wins and nominations

Earlier in April, Naomi and Wynonna treated their fans by returning for a stage performance at the CMT Awards. After 20 long years, they performed ‘Love Can Build A Bridge’, which left a crowd of music lovers cheering.