NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One day after her death at 76, country star Naomi Judd has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter.
The night's four inductees included The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake. Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and many more performed their hit songs during the ceremony on Sunday.
Judd's daughters announced her death on Saturday, explaining in a statement that the country music star died due to "the disease of mental illness." Naomi and Wynonna Judd were among the most popular duos of the 1980s, scoring 14 No. 1 hits during their nearly three-decade career.
Wynonna and Ashley Judd accepted the induction amid tears, holding onto each other and reciting a Bible verse together.
“I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” Ashley Judd said of her mother to the crowd while crying. Wynonna Judd talked about the family gathering as they said goodbye to her and she and Ashley Judd recited Psalm 23.
"Though my heart is broken I will continue to sing,” Wynonna Judd said.
Public red carpet arrivals for the Sunday night medallion ceremony were canceled out of respect for Judd's death. Fans gathered outside the museum anyway, drawn to a white floral bouquet outside the entrance and a small framed photo of Naomi Judd below. A single rose was laid on the ground.
The Judds had just announced an arena tour to begin in the fall, their first tour together in over a decade. They also made a return to awards shows when they performed at the CMT Music Awards earlier this month.
“Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness," read the daughters' Saturday statement. "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 statement did not elaborate further.
Naomi Judd died near Nashville, Tennessee, said a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland. It said no further details about her death would be released and asked for privacy as the family grieves.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.