Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd, born Diana Ellen Judd, was a Grammy-winning country music singer and half of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, known for hits like “Love Can Build a Bridge” and “Mama He’s Crazy.”

Judd’s music career began in the early 1980s when she and daughter Wynonna Judd (born in 1964) formed The Judds. The duo signed with RCA Nashville and released their debut EP in 1984. They quickly rose to fame, scoring 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and winning five Grammy Awards, making them one of country music’s most successful acts of the decade.

Their albums Why Not Me, Rockin’ With the Rhythm and Heartland became genre staples, and their farewell tour in 1991 followed Naomi’s diagnosis with hepatitis C. She later pursued television work, appearing as a judge on Can You Duet and in Hallmark Channel films.

In April 2022, Naomi died by suicide at age 76, one day before The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Naomi welcomed Wynonna in 1964 with then-boyfriend Charles Jordan. After he abandoned Naomi, she married Michael Ciminella in 1964 and they welcomed daughter Ashley Judd in 1968 before divorcing in 1972. Naomi later married Larry Strickland in 1989 and remained with him until her death in 2022.