Naomi Judd’s husband Larry Strickland has released a statement following her death.
Naomi died at age 76 after battling a “mental illness,” daughters Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd announced on Saturday. The exact cause of death of one half of the iconic country duo The Judds has not been released.
In a statement via People, the late singer’s husband, Larry, asked for privacy for their family “at this heartbreaking time.”
“No additional information is being released at this time,” the statement continued.
Ashley, 54, was the first to announce her mother’s passing through a statement shared on Instagram on Saturday.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the illness of mental illness,” the statement read.
“We are heartbroken. We are going through deep sorrow and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her audience too,” the statement continued. “We are in uncharted territory.”
Following the announcement, a number of social media celebrities paid tribute to Naomi, including Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris and Rosanna Arquette, among many others.
“Country music has lost a true legend… sing with the angels, Naomi!!! We are all sending out prayers today for the Judd family,” Underwood wrote on Twitter.
“Rest in peace, Naomi Judd. It’s an honor to have witnessed ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ a few weeks ago,” Morris said. tweeted†
“I am very sad to hear that Naomi Judd has passed away. Rest in peace. Sending love and light to Ashley and Wynonna and everyone who loves her,” Arquette wrote†
“So saddened by this news. @kathielgifford and I cherished the moments we shared with her on our show. A unique RIP,” Hoda Kotb wrote†
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) also released a statement saying it is “deeply saddened by the heartbreaking news this afternoon of the passing of Naomi Judd”.
With her daughter Wynonna, the Judds won the ACM Award for Top Vocal Duet for seven years in a row and most recently the ACM Pioneer Award.
Naomi died a day before she and her daughter Wynonna would celebrate their induction into Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. The mother-daughter group was known for their hits ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’, ‘Mama He’s Crazy’, Why Not Me and ‘Grandpa’.
Naomi leaves behind daughters Ashley and Wynonna and husband Larry.
Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images