Country Music Star Naomi Judd Dies At 76

(Fwrd Axis) — Country music star Naomi Judd, singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds, has died at age 76, her family announced on Saturday.

The daughters announced her death on Saturday in a statement, hinting the mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd died of an apparent suicide but that has not been confirmed.

“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 her public. We are in unknown territory.”

The tragic news comes just 24 hours before The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday and they had announced an arena tour to begin in the fall.

“This is heartbreaking news! Naomi Judd was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known,” singer Travis Tritt tweeted after the news broke.

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, and “Girls Night Out” in 1985.

Daughter Ashley Judd is an actor known for her roles in such movies as “Kiss the Girls,” ″Double Jeopardy” and “Heat.”

Judd’s death comes just three weeks after performing with daughter Wynonna Judd for the last time.

Naomi Judd has a history of mental health issues. In 2013, she contemplated jumping from a bridge near her home in Tennessee in 2013 and has been open about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.

“Nobody can understand it unless you’ve been there. Think of the very worst day of your whole life — someone passed away, you lost your job, you found out you were being betrayed, that your child had a rare disease — you can take all of those at once and put them together and that’s what depression feels like,” she said.