By now, we all have heard the incredibly sad news of the passing of Naomi Judd on Saturday, April 30th at the age of 76. Her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, said they lost their mother to "the disease of mental illness."

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Naomi has been struggling with severe depression for years but this still came as a shock to many people. It was just one day before the Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I was fortunate enough to meet Naomi once and it was an experience that I'll never forget. It was 2008 and Naomi was a judge on a televised singing competition called "Can You Duet" on CMT.

It was a reality show a lot like American Idol except that it was duets instead of individual singers. I happened to be in Nashville for the taping of the season finale which included "Rory and Joey."

After the competition was over, it was time for the scores to be tabulated. It was at the Wildhorse Saloon and while we were waiting, they decided to kill some time by getting people from the audience to sing with the band.

You could tell that some of the singers could sing karaoke but had no idea how to sing with a band. I ended up getting volunteered and I sang "Elvira" with the house band. I've sung that song with other bands many times and I thought it went very well.

Meeting Naomi Judd

So after the competition was over, Caitlin & Will (who) was the winner with Rory and Joey finishing third. I saw that Naomi was still sitting in the judge's box, so I thought this could be my chance to get a picture and an autograph.

She was still sitting in the elevated box when I got over to her. I waited for her to see me and when she saw me the first thing out of her mouth was "Elvira Huh" and started to laugh.

I couldn't believe that 1) she heard the song and 2) she recognized me when I came over to meet her. I was grinning ear to ear and I still smile when I think about it now. I told her that it was my favorite song to sing and I'd sung it a few times before.

She then informed me that her ex-husband was one of the writers of "Elvira" and I would have made him proud. I don't know if she meant it or not but she had me believing it.

It's a memory of her that I won't forget and I'm so sorry to hear that she was struggling with mental health issues. I guess you just never know but that will be a story for another day.

RIP Naomi and thank you for brightening the heart of a country boy from Warren Center, Pa.

Scroll through below to see how other country stars are saying farewell to Naomi Judd.

Stars React to Naomi Judd's Death:

Naomi Judd Dies: Country Stars React

Country stars mourn the loss of Naomi Judd, following her death on April 30 at the age of 76.

The Judds Best Songs - Top 10 Hits From Wynonna and Naomi Judd

The Judds have 14 No. 1 songs and dominated Duo and Group of the Year awards at both the CMA and ACM Awards during the 1980s. They also recorded several dozen great songs that never made radio. Here are their Top 10 songs ever.

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