Very sad, very unsurprising news to pass along today … reports out of London claim that troubled singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home at around 4PM local time. Information about Amy‘s death is breaking now so not much detail is yet known … but both Sky News and Reuters are reporting her death on Twitter. [UPDATE] The Daily Mail has a bit more info regarding Amy‘s death and the events this week leading up to it. Click below to read more.
Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in London, it has been reported. The Back To Black singer was apparently found at 4pm and her death is believed to be unexplained. Winehouse had been seen with her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield earlier this week as the teenager took to the stage at the iTunes festival. While she didn’t perform any tracks, Winehouse apparently begged the crowds to buy Dionne’s album. A source said: ‘Amy staggered onstage and grabbed the mic to beg the crowd to buy her protege’s new album.’ Winehouse’s appearance at the concert came after she cancelled her European tour following a disastrous performance in June when she stumbled onto the stage in Belgrade and gave an incoherent performance appearing very disorientated and removed from reality. Following the concert which saw fans enraged and the subsequent video that circulated to millions she cancelled the remaining dates of her European tour. A statement released by the troubled singer’s spokesperson said that the 27-year-old would be given ‘as long as it takes’ to recover. The statement read: ‘Amy Winehouse is withdrawing from all scheduled performances. ‘Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen.’
[UPDATE 2] From BBC:
Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, has been found dead at her north London home. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained. London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died. The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career. She pulled out of a comeback tour last month. Last month, the north Londoner pulled out of the European tour after she was jeered at the first gig in Serbia for appearing too drunk to perform. For 90 minutes, she mumbled through parts of songs and at times left the stage – leaving her band to fill in. Winehouse had won widespread acclaim, aged 20, with her 2003 debut album, Frank. But it was 2006′s Back to Black which brought her worldwide stardom, winning five Grammy Awards.
What is most sad of all is that every single person with any passing knowledge of Amy Winehouse cannot be surprised in the least by this news. For years, we have seen the poor woman spiral further and further down from the heights of stardom to the depths of drug and alcohol addiction. Countless times we have seen evidence of her extremely poor state and, time and time again, her handlers let her carry on with performances or in-person appearances hoping that she would sort herself out. Just last month we saw video footage of Amy COMPLETELY effed out of her mind on stage in Serbia. It was painfully clear … her end was near. But, despite the unsurprising nature of her death (which, I would be money, will turn out to be a drug overdose or complications due to drug abuse), it is extremely sad to learn of her passing. Amy was an insane talent. She will be missed.
[UPDATE 3] Video of Amy Winehouse‘s last performance ever has come to light:
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[Source, Source, Source]
to all the haters out there, read this.
“you know my name, not my story. you’ve heard what i’ve done, not what i’ve been through.”
it doesn’t take a lot to be respectful. RIP Amy.
Im sorry but its not like this is a surprise. Its hard to feel sorry for someone who knew what they were doing and continued to do it. She had every chance in the world to change her life and she CHOOSE to continue to poison herself.
Addiction is a very complicated process. It is not a choice. The satiation centers in the brain are not right in an addict. They literally can’t get enough of certain substances. Please educate yourself before making such an ignorant and judgmental statement.
@Amanda. No, I don’t do drugs. I’m a 49 year old mother of 4 with 5 grandchildren and I loathe drugs. I have however, in my long years, known people who are addicts. Some are still alive, others, sadly have passed away. Just because they were addicts did not make them bad people. They weren’t scum and neither were they unaware of the danger they were in. I hope no one who is close to you, or even an acquaintance becomes addicted because they sure as hell couldn’t count on you to help out. Again, your lack of compassion and ignorance on this subject is embarrassing.You need to search your soul and find a little warmth, you’ll feel so much better for it.
@Debho…you said it perfectly! i pray that AW can enjoy the peace outside of her body that she never enjoyed while in it…
and @Astrid!!!! My heart bleeds and breaks for the unimagineable horror in Norway…..I am a Swede and my entire family has been praying for our fellow Scandinavians….the world does share your pain.
I’m mostly familiar with her ‘Rehab’ song, which sounds like a celebration of addiction and rebellious self-denial, and she was showered with praise and rewarded for it by the industry, and the fans. Perhaps she was set up for failure by culture in this way.
in other words, it was a cry for help from the beginning instead people gave her money, fame, and awards.
Amanda probably likes Lady Ga Ga
It isn’t a surprise and it is never a surprise with an addict. But I hate all the mean-spirited comments, like she had it coming or something, like she “chose” this. Addiction is horrific and is just now beginning to be understood better. Nobody “chooses” this sort of thing. It is hard to break away from it. For those who manage to overcome their addiction, every day is a struggle to stay away from it. Nikki Sixx once said that his heroin addiction would sell his kids to get a fix if it were able to be autonomous. Not that HE would do such a thing, but the addiction was a monster without a conscience and he has to fight it every day of his life to keep it from consuming him. I urge people to have kind thoughts about Amy and her family, not to shame and blame.
This is such sad news, she was far too young