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Shania Twain honors Naomi Judd in heartfelt post: ‘Her life was a triumph’

The country music singer-songwriter honors the woman she calls an “inspiration.”
Shania Twain pays tribute to late country music singer Naomi Judd.
Shania Twain pays tribute to late country music singer Naomi Judd.Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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One country music icon is honoring the memory of another.

Days after the death of Naomi Judd, Shania Twain took to Instagram to share her heartfelt respect for the musical matriarch and the legacy Judd handed down to her daughters.

“My heart is broken for Wynonna, Ashley and the rest of the Judd family,” the 56-year-old wrote. “Losing a parent is the hardest thing to go through. And especially during a moment of such celebration...”

The celebration Twain referred to was Judd’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame as one half of the act that bears the family's name. The ceremony took place just one day after the 76-year-old’s daughters revealed she died due “to the disease of mental illness.”

Wynonna Judd, Ashley Judd, Ricky Skaggs, Kyle Young
Wynonna Judd, second from the right, stands next to The Judds' induction plaque as sister Ashley Judd, left, Ricky Skaggs, and MC Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, look on at Sunday's event in Nashville, Tenn.Wade Payne / Wade Payne/Invision/AP

"I can empathize with what Wynonna said in her Country Music Hall of Fame speech all too well — 'It’s a very strange dynamic to be this broken and this blessed,'” Twain continued. ⁠

The "You're Still the One" singer then shared her admiration for Judd.

"Naomi Judd and The Judds were a huge inspiration to me, both musically and personally," she wrote. "Naomi fought to bring herself and her two daughters out of poverty, and to see that same strength in Wynonna and Ashley is a testament to their mother." 

Judd raised her daughters as a single mother and worked as a nurse to support the family before breaking out in a big way as singer-songwriter alongside Wynonna in 1983. 

The Judds Launch Their "Girls Night Out" Residency In Las Vegas
Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd perform during the launch of their nine-show residency "Girls Night Out" at The Venetian Las Vegas on October 7, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Isaac Brekken / Getty Images

“Her life was a triumph,” Twain noted as she closed her message. “And The Judds impact on country music will live on forever. Nobody deserves to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame more than The Judds ❤️"

It was at that Hall of Fame ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, that The Judds formally joined the organization's class of 2021, alongside fellow musical greats, including Ray Charles. 

But the Hall of Fame distinction was just the latest accolade for the beloved act that also won five Grammys, nine CMA awards, and eight ACM awards — including the ACM Pioneer Award — over the course of their career. 

“My momma loved you so much, and she appreciated your love for her and I’m sorry that she couldn’t hang on until today,” Judd's youngest daughter, Ashley, told the audience at Sunday's Country Music Hall of Fame induction. “Your esteem for her and regard for her really penetrated her heart, and it was your affection for her that did keep her going in these last few years.”