Who was Naomi Judd?

FAMILY country duo The Judds consisted of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna.

On Saturday, April 30, 2022, news broke that Naomi Judd passed away aged 76.

Who was Naomi Judd?

Born on January 11, 1946, Naomi Judd was a native of Ashland, Kentucky.

She welcomed her first child, Wynonna, at the age of 18 years old.

Four years later, she birthed her daughter Ashley.

From 1964 through 1972, Naomi was married to Michael Ciminella.

After the two split, Naomi and her daughters made the move to California.

Naomi began attending nursing school at the College of Marin before she and Wynonna joined forces to create The Judds.

She remarried in 1989 to Larry Strickland, and the two remained together until Naomi’s death in 2022.

Who were The Judds?

The Judds first signed a record deal in 1983, releasing six studio albums before 1991.

Naomi and Wynona Judd became a highly successful duo, winning five Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association (CMA) awards.

The mother-daughter group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2021.

Although they officially disbanded in 1991, the duo regularly reunited for performances throughout the years.

Before Naomi passed away in April, The Judds played together at the 2022 CMT Music Awards.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for CMT

What happened to Naomi Judd?

On Saturday, April 30, 2022, Naomi Judd passed away at the age of 76.

“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” wrote Wynonna and Ashley Judd in a statement released to the Associated Press.

“We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.”

The statement continued: “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public.”

The daughters concluded: “We are in unknown territory.”

No further information surrounding the death of Naomi is yet available.