The 76-year-old country music singer and songwriter Naomi Judd passed away on Saturday, accordingly due to mental illness.
Multi-awarded actress and United Nations Population Fund Good Will Ambassador Ashley Judd announced on Twitter and Instagram the demise of Naomi Judd, her mother, on behalf of her half-sister, Wynona.
"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," Ashley Judd announced.
The sisters, as per CMT News, provided the same statement to the members of the press. Larry Strickland, Naomi Judd's husband, also released a statement confirming her death.
"Entertainment icon Naomi Judd passed away April 30, 2022, outside of Nashville. Her husband, Larry Strickland, of 32 years will not be making any further statements. Naomi Judd's family requests privacy during this heartbreaking time. No additional information will be released at this time," the statement read.
Wynona, who used to be a part of the Grammy award-winning duo "The Judds" with her mother, revealed on Sunday a few more details on Naomi's last moments. Wynona said her mother kissed her on the forehead and walked away before her demise at 2:20 p.m. that Saturday. Wynona disclosed the matter during the induction of The Judds at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday.
During the induction, Wynona and Ashley briefly remarked about Naomi's passing and stressed how broken they felt because of it. Ashley highlighted how her mother appreciated the love the Country Music Hall had for her and apologized she was not able to hang on until that day for her induction. Ashley said their high regard and affection for her mother kept her going in recent years. The actress recognized her sister and her contribution to the duo The Judds before giving her the mic.
Wynona, on the other hand, revealed she was not ready with her speech because she anticipated her mother would mostly provide it. The 57-year-old also shared that the last act she, her mother, and her sister did together with other family members was the recitation of Psalm 23. She recited the Biblical verse, which the people present during the induction spoke in unison with her.
"I didn't prepare anything tonight 'cause I knew that mom would probably talk the most. I feel so blessed and it's a very strange dynamic to be this broken and this blessed...but though my heart is broken, I will continue to sing," Wynona said.
According to CBN News, Naomi fell into severe depression when The Judds separated. Naomi highlighted in a previous interview with the media outlet that her Christian faith kept her cheerful for her children in overcoming her depression. Naomi cited Hebrews 11:1, which spoke of faith being a substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. The former matriarch said that she always had a sense of what is on the other side and of something better.
People explained that The Judds remained on top of charts for several decades with their songs, "Girls Night Out," "Mama He's Crazy," "Rockin With The Rhythm of the Rain," and "Why Not Me," among other hits. But The Judds had to stop performing in 1991 when Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, which she contracted from working as a nurse. Their last performance as a duo and the first after 20 years in television was in early April on the CMT Music Awards show.
