Naomi Judd may have been a bona fide country titan, but her legacy in the Judds transcends country music. Rather, her music, personality and rags-to-riches story makes her a hero of music at large.
An artistic master and the ultimate matriarch, Judd — alongside her daughter and collaborator, Wynonna — reverberated through culture during her lengthy musical legacy, which includes classics like "Let Me Tell You About Love," "Have Mercy" and "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain." Sadly, the world had to say goodbye to Naomi following her unexpected passing on April 30 — just one day before the Judds were set to be inducted into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame.
"Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness," Naomi's family said in a statement announcing her death. The singer openly battled depression and panic attacks, which she further detailed in her 2016 memoir, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope.
The Judds' trailblazing musical legacy can be traced through their 14 No. 1 hits and numerous accolades; The Judds won five GRAMMYs and received nine GRAMMY nominations overall. Their first win came in 1985, when "Mama, He's Crazy" took home Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — a category they competed in for eight years straight. (They were also nominated for Best New Artist in 1985.)
"Mama, He's Crazy" marked the duo's first No. 1 hit, and was a showcase of what made them special: Their unique harmonies, their blend of bluegrass elements and bluesy pop stylings, and their mother-daughter bond. "We had such a stamp of originality on what we were trying to do," Naomi told the Associated Press upon the announcement of their Country Music Hall of Fame honor.
By the time the Judds catapulted into the limelight, Naomi had already lived an impactful life in an entirely different career — one that gave her a unique perspective on art and fame in general. Partly inspired by her brother's death from leukemia at 17, Naomi worked as a nurse in Franklin, Tenn., while simultaneously single-parenting both Wynonna and Ashley, an eventual actress.
In Naomi's eyes, it was the night of her aforementioned first GRAMMYS that her vocation transitioned from smocks to fancy dresses. "Wynonna and I both said the same thing," she remembered last month with a laugh. "It felt like we were in a car crash, cause it happened so fast it was life-changing. I got up out of my seat like, 'Uh, oh, they made a mistake.'"
Their first GRAMMY win was just one indication of the dominant force the Judds would become in country music and beyond throughout the 1980s, thanks to a string of down-home, innocent hits and romantic odes including "Why Not Me," "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)" and "Give A Little Love."
The duo's final GRAMMY victory was for "Love Can Build a Bridge," the 1990 smash that soon became their trademark. "I would give my hearts' desire so that you might see," the powerful song goes. "The first step is to realize that it all begins with you and me."
The song doubles as both a testament to their family bond and Naomi's faith, as it was released in conjunction with the announcement of Naomi's diagnosis with Hepatitis C. She had contracted the disease during her days as a nurse, forcing the singer to temporarily retire in 1991. (Naomi said she was completely free of the virus by 1995, according to Time.)
"I've always known that I'm a child of the highest God. That's the bottom line. It's kind of as if we didn't have anything but the Lord. But that's enough," she said in 2015. "Perhaps, I said it best in my song, 'Love Can Build A Bridge.' What I was trying to do in the first verse is saying that not only food, shelter, and water are essential for human life, but hopes and dreams to me are absolutely just as essential."
Through their highs and lows, both Naomi and Wynonna largely relied on each other and the music they created together. "Music is the bridge between mom and me, and it bonds us together," she told AP. "Even in the not easy times."
Their symbiotic relationship aided them in navigating the tumultuous nature of the industry. "We were complete equals because we knew nothing about show business and were learning at exactly the same moment," Naomi once pointed out. "That became an equalizer." (Poignantly, "Love Can Build a Bridge" was the final song the two performed in public at last month's CMT Music Awards.)
The Judds' impact has echoed from their early-'80s debut into the present day, cemented by the outpouring of tributes upon Naomi's passing. "Country music will never be the same," Trisha Yearwood tweeted; Carrie Underwood echoed, "Country music lost a true legend." Fellow country pioneer Loretta Lynn added, "I'm just heartbroken over the loss of Naomi Judd…There are no words."
Brandi Carlile, who was set to perform "Love Can Build A Bridge" at the Judds' Country Music Hall of Fame induction, wrote about their influence in a heartfelt homage to Naomi. "They were my first, second and third concert in my life and they've given me more than they could possibly understand," Carlile captioned an Instagram video of her singing "Love Can Build A Bridge."
"They've given a language to not just mothers and daughters everywhere," Carlile added. "Every family can learn something about love from [the Judds]."