Multiple sources indicate that Naomi Judd, the legendary country singer and part of the mother-daughter combo The Judds, committed suicide on Saturday at the age of 76 after a lengthy battle with mental illness.
There has been no reaction from a representative for the late singer.
Ashley and Wynonna Judd, Naomi’s daughters, released an emotional message on Saturday announcing their mother’s death.
“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,” the statement read. “We are in unknown territory.”
Larry Strickland, Naomi’s 32-year-old husband, issued the following statement: “During this difficult time, Naomi Judd’s family has requested privacy. At this time, no other information will be shared.”
Naomi was a longstanding supporter of mental health and penned an open letter for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2018.
“The inevitable inquiry for anyone grieving the death of someone who committed suicide is: Why did this happen? We don’t have very good answers, unfortunately, “At the time, the musician wrote.
“Suicidal behavior is known to accompany a variety of behavioral brain illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Among these mental diseases, suicide is one of the main causes of preventable mortality.”
“In order to properly comprehend this issue, we need to mainstream suicide research and treat it like any other brain disorder,” the message read.
“People who commit suicide have issues with mood, impulse control, and aggression, all of which are regulated by discrete circuits in the brain, but we don’t know how these circuits go crazy in the brains of suicide victims.”
Naomi and 57-year-old Wynonna have 14 chart-topping singles under their belt as mother-daughter duo The Judds, including “Mama He’s Crazy,” “Why Not Me,” “Turn It Loose,” “Change of Heart,” and “Let Me Tell You About Love.”
They also won five Grammys, nine Country Music Association Awards, and seven ACM Awards.
