Celebrities React to Naomi Judd’s Death: Tributes from Stars

Mourning an icon. Celebs from Hollywood to Nashville and beyond are grieving the death of Naomi Judd.

Sisters Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd revealed their mother’s death on Saturday, April 30. “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy,” they said in a joint statement via Twitter. “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. We are in unknown territory.”

The 76-year-old found fame in 1983 singing alongside Wynonna, now 57. The Judds dominated the country music charts during their initial eight-year run. The “Mama He’s Crazy” singers won multiple Grammy Awards and CMA Awards. The duo disbanded in 1991, though they reunited throughout the years for various performances, including a 2010 tour to promote their greatest hits album, I Will Stand by You: The Essential Collection.

Most recently, Wynonna and Naomi reunited for a performance at the 2022 CMT Music Awards on April 11, where they were introduced by Kacey Musgraves. They performed “Love Can Build a Bridge,” which was their first nationally televised award show performance in more than 20 years.

The show was cohosted by Kelsea Ballerini, who reacted to the news of Naomi’s passing via her Instagram Story shortly after the news broke. The photo showed she was listening to “Love Can Build a Bridge” on her phone. She captioned the slide with a broken heart emoji.

Maren Morris also noted the hit song as she reacted to Naomi’s passing. “Rest In Peace, Naomi Judd. Honored to have witnessed ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ just a few short weeks ago,” the 32-year-old shared via Twitter on Saturday.

Carrie Underwood noted that her family was in her thoughts, tweeting on Saturday, “Country music lost a true legend…sing with the angels, Naomi!!! We’re all sending up prayers for the Judd family today.”

Big and Rich’s John Rich also mentioned the late singer’s loved ones. “So very sad to hear of #NaomiJudd passing today,” Rich, 48, wrote via Twitter. “I had the great honor of knowing her, and she was no doubt one of the most iconic entertainers ever to make country music. Thinking of my good friend @Wynonna right now, this is a very tough day for her and the family.”

Scroll down to see more reactions and tributes to Naomi from the stars who adored her: