The country music world and beyond is mourning the death of superstar Naomi Judd, who died Saturday at the age of 76, just hours before she was set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with her daughter Wynonna Judd.
“We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered,” a statement said.
Wynonna and her sister, actor Ashley Judd, still attended the ceremony and spoke of their profound grief at losing their mother, who had been very public with her battle with depression.
“My mama loved you so much and she appreciated your love for her,” Ashley Judd said in tears. “I’m sorry she couldn’t hang on until today.”
“I’m going to make this fast, because my heart’s broken,” Wynonna said.
Naomi Judd’s sudden passing has been startling. Just three weeks ago, the Judds had just performed at the CMT Music Awards. Naomi seemed to be in great spirits on the red carpet as she announced she was going back on tour for the first time in a decade.
And Naomi’s love for her daughters was evident while speaking to Inside Edition correspondent Megan Alexander for CBS News, during what would turn out to be the singer’s last interview.
Naomi Judd gave a tour of her sprawling property outside Nashville, where she showed off an entire room of awards and revealed she lives right next door to daughters Wynonna and Ashley. She spoke of how close she was to her daughters, how they could pop over at any time, walk in the front door and ask what’s for dinner.
“Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts was brought to tears remembering her 2016 interview with the singer, who detailed her battle with mental illness.
“What I’ve been through is extreme. My final diagnosis was severe depression — treatment resistant, cause they tried me on every single thing they had in their arsenal,” Naomi told Roberts.
During her darkest days, Naomi said she considered suicide.
“Treatment resistant depression can be really bad, because a person says, ‘I feel hopeless, I feel helpless. I’m not getting better,’” Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma said.
The exact cause of Naomi Judd’s death has not been revealed, other than it was related to mental illness.
“Depression can affect every organ in your body. People don’t realize that depression kills,” Varma said.
Country Music Television announced that every hour on Tuesday, they will air Naomi Judd’s final performance of “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides confidential support for people in distress 24/7. People can call the hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or chat online at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.