Keith Urban recently performed a heartfelt tribute to country icon Naomi Judd, who died on Saturday afternoon (April 30). She was 76. The “Wild Hearts” singer shared a clip of the song on his social media channels, which shows that the audience joined in to pay their respects to the legendary artist. Urban wrote in his caption:
“Naomi Judd sowed so many important seeds in her precious time here. Here’s one of the many. On the other side of the world in Manchester tonight they were all singing ‘Love Can Build A Bridge.’ Thank you Naomi. We love you.”
Naomi’s daughters, Ashley and Wynonna Judd, confirmed on Saturday that they “experienced a tragedy. 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 tragic news shocked and saddened the country music industry and fans, prompting an outpouring of tributes to the matriarch of the mother-daughter duo, The Judds.
Naomi died one day before The Judds were set to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Pete Drake, Eddie Bayers and Ray Charles. Ashley and Wynonna, Naomi’s daughter and duo partner, emotionally spoke during the ceremony on Sunday (May 1). Wynonna noted the “very strange dynamic to be this broken and this blessed,” and pledged that, despite her heartbreak, she “will continue to sing.” Days after the induction, the Country Music Hall of Fame shared a brief video reflecting on The Judds’ iconic career, stemming from their move from Ashland, Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee, and spanning the decades to their numerous No. 1 songs and reunion tours.
Watch Urban’s sweet tribute to Naomi here: