Five-time Grammy award winner and country music great Naomi Judd, passed away on Saturday (local time) at the age of 76, ahead of her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday along with her daughter Ashley Judd as part of "The Judds duo".
"Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered," Ashley Judd said in a statement on Twitter.
"We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public," the statement added. "We are in unknown territory." Naomi and her daughter, Wynonna, began singing together as professionals in the early 1980s, eventually producing a string of major hits, including "Mama He's Crazy" and "Love Can Build a Bridge," selling more than 20 million records, CNN reported.
Their first single, "Had a Dream (For the Heart)," released in 1983, reached No. 17 on the Billboard country chart. Their next single, "Mama He's Crazy," became the No. 1 song on country radio, according to the website, and won The Judds their first Grammy in 1984.
Over the course of seven years, The Judds won five Grammys and had 14 No. 1 singles, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The Judds completed what was billed as a farewell tour in 2011, but announced earlier this year a 10-date "Final Tour" that was scheduled to begin in September, the report said, adding, they performed together publicly for the first time in years earlier this month at the CMT Music Awards.
Naomi Judd was born Diana Ellen Judd in Kentucky in January 1946, according to The Judds' official website.
Tributes flowed in from artists following news of her death.
"I am sending love and peace to @Wynonna tonight. All the daughters in the world know the special place a mother holds in our hearts. Know that she is no longer in pain. Peace, my friend. #NaomiJudd," singer Melissa Etheridge said on Twitter.
Country music star Carrie Underwood said, "Country music lost a true legend...sing with the angels, Naomi!!! We're all sending up prayers for the Judd family today..." The Country Music Hall of Fame described their music as "characterized by distinctive harmonies," with "powerful" lead vocals and acoustic accompaniments with elements of "traditional folk, blues and family harmony," CNN said.
