Amy Winehouse, the troubled British singer-songwriter, was found dead in her London home Saturday afternoon. The cause of death was not immediately known. Autopsy results were released on Monday as inconclusive. She had sought treatment as recently as last month for health problems including drug & alcohol abuse and early-stage emphysema. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Foul play is not suspected. Results are expected in a few weeks after further toxicology tests are performed.
Her family had her cremated which is following in a family tradition. Her funeral was held today at a synagogue in Edgware, North London. Family, friends, and industry executives gathered during a very moving service yet very humorous at times.
Police sources say there were no signs of drugs in Amy's Camden home. She may have been dead for up to six hours before a security guard found her body in bed at around 4 PM. The last time she had spoken to him was at 10 AM that morning.
She had last seen her doctor just the day before her death. He was happy with her condition and had no concerns over her health. She was very fragile and had been admitted to the hospital many times suffering from seizures. The last time she was admitted to the hospital was weeks before her death after being found in the street. She had been rushed to a private London clinic.
Amy's father says his daughter had been clean for three weeks and was the happiest she has been in years. She showed no signs of depression the night before as she was singing & playing the drums in her bedroom. Her security guard found her dead in her bed the next day.
Her father says he will now be setting up the Amy Winehouse Foundation as a way to help what Amy loved the most - children, horses, and to help those struggling with substance abuse. Many now believe that Amy's death was brought on by years of abuse her body had gone through where her system could no longer go on.
Amy's last appearance was with her god-daughter, singer Dionne Bromfield, on stage three days before her death. You can watch that video at The Sun.
Amy Winehouse's career broke through in 2007 with her album 'Back to Black.' It earned her six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night. She couldn't attend the 50th annual Grammy Awards that night but performed on the program via satellite from London. She won in the categories of Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album. Her Grammy-winning song 'Rehab' is the song that went on to define her about her refusal to seek treatment for substance abuse.
After news of Amy's death broke, she instantly became a member of the '27 Club.' It's the name given for a group of influential musicians who died at the age of 27. The list includes Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, and Kurt Cobain. Legendary guitarist Robert Johnson is widely believed to be the original member of the '27 Club' after he was poisoned with strychnine in 1938. According to the book "The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll," more rock stars have died at 27 than at any other age.
