Who is Naomi Judd
Naomi Judd was an American country music singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky, and died on April 30, 2022, and is best known as one-half of the mother-daughter country music duo The Judds, which also featured her daughter Wynonna Judd.
RELATED: How did Twitch Die
Table of Contents
Naomi began her career as a registered nurse and single mother before pursuing music. The Judds became one of the most successful and beloved acts in country music history, selling over 20 million albums and earning multiple awards and nominations, including five Grammy Awards.
In addition to her work in music, Naomi has also acted in several television shows and movies, including “Touched by an Angel” and “An Evergreen Christmas”. She is also a motivational speaker and author, having written several books on health, wellness, and personal growth.
Early life
Naomi Judd was born Diana Ellen Judd on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky, USA. She was the middle child of Charles Glen Judd and Pauline Judd. Her father worked as a gas station owner and her mother was a homemaker.
Naomi grew up in rural Kentucky and attended high school in Ashland. She went on to attend the College of Marin in California but dropped out to pursue a career in music.
Naomi’s early life was marked by poverty, abuse, and hardship. Her family struggled to make ends meet, and she experienced physical and emotional abuse from her father. Despite these challenges, Naomi remained determined to make a better life for herself and her family, and her experiences would later inspire her to become a motivational speaker and advocate for mental health awareness.
Death of Naomi Judd
On April 30th, 2022, Naomi Judd passed away by suicide with a firearm at her home in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. She was 76 years old. Naomi had been struggling with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts for a long time. She was taking medications, including lithium, which produced severe side effects, such as facial edema, alopecia, and tremors, leading to further emotional distress.
Naomi’s daughters announced her death via Twitter, saying, “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.” Ashley Judd later revealed the cause of her mother’s death in an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America on May 12th, 2022. She shared this information to raise awareness about mental illness and to help others who might be struggling.
A memorial for Naomi Judd, called “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” was televised on CMT. The event was hosted by Robin Roberts and held at the Ryman Auditorium, as specified by Judd before her death. The memorial featured appearances from many well-known personalities, including Bono, Bette Midler, Oprah Winfrey, and Salma Hayek, and musical performances by various artists, such as Wynonna, Brad Paisley, and Brandi Carlile, among others.
How did Naomi Judd Die
Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, died at 76 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on April 30, 2022, the day before she and Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The daughters announced her death in a statement provided to the Associated Press.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness,” the statement said. “We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by the public. We are in unknown territory.”
Naomi Judd died near Nashville, said a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland. It said no further details about her death would be released and asked for privacy as the family grieves.
The Judds, Naomi, and Wynonna were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday and they had just announced an arena tour to begin in the fall, their first tour together in more than a decade. They also made a return to awards shows when they performed at the CMT Music Awards this month.
“Honored to have witnessed ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ just a few short weeks ago,” singer Maren Morris posted on Twitter.
“This is heartbreaking news! Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known,” singer Travis Tritt posted on Twitter, noting that he had worked with Judd several times onscreen and during performances.
The mother-daughter performers scored 14 No. 1 songs in an act that spanned nearly three decades. After rising to the top of country music, they called it quits in 1991 after doctors diagnosed Naomi with hepatitis C. Wynonna continued her solo career.
The Judds’ hits included “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.
Born Diana Ellen Judd in Ashland, Kentucky, Naomi was working as a nurse in Nashville when she and Wynonna started singing together professionally. Their unique harmonies, together with elements of acoustic music, bluegrass, and blues, made them stand out in the genre at the time.
“We had such a stamp of originality on what we were trying to do,” Naomi Judd told the AP after it was announced that they would be joining the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The Judds released six studio albums and an EP between 1984 and 1991 and won nine Country Music Association Awards and seven from the Academy of Country Music. They earned a total of five Grammy Awards together on hits like “Why Not Me” and “Give a Little Love,” and Naomi earned a sixth Grammy for writing “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
The Judds also performed at the halftime of the 1994 Super Bowl along with Tritt, Clint Black, and Tanya Tucker.
The Judds sang about family, the belief in marriage, and the virtue of fidelity. Because Naomi was so young-looking, the two were mistaken for sisters early in their careers. She was also known to prefer flashy stage outfits, full of sparkles and rhinestones, over casual boots and cowboy-style clothing.
They first got attention singing on Ralph Emery’s morning show in early 1980, where the host named them the “Soap Sisters” because Naomi said she used to make her own soap.
After the success of “Mama He’s Crazy,” they won the Horizon Award at the 1984 CMA Awards. Naomi started her speech by saying, “Slap the dog and spit in the fire!”
Naomi was open about her health struggles, including severe depression and anxiety. In her memoir, River of Time, she wrote about her diagnosis of hepatitis C, which she said she unknowingly contracted during her time as a nurse. She said that by 1995, her doctors told her she was completely free of the virus.
In the memoir, she described feeling like she had lost her identity when she returned home after a 2010 reunion tour, isolating herself at her home and dealing with crippling panic attacks. She also said that she had been dealing with trauma from childhood sexual abuse. She was admitted to a psychiatric ward at a hospital and spent time in an outpatient treatment program
