Amy Winehouse Angels and Demons

For all her extraordinary talents, Amy Winehouse could not overcome her battle with substance and alcohol abuse and died and the very young age of 27.

Her personal struggles stood in stark contrast to her impressive writing and singing abilities. Having scored a hit album as a solo artist in Britain with the 2003 release “Frank”, Amy followed up that success with her 2007 international sensation “Back to Black”. Fronted by the single, “Rehab”, which made it to the top 10 in both Britain and the US, Amy’s skyrocketing fame was further powered by successful TV appearances, such as on “The David Letterman Show”.

At this point, Amy Winehouse was at the peak of her fame, loved by music critics for her deep, sultry voice and potent writing skills as a top notch musician, and by fans for her unique fashion sense and swaggering attitude. Her throwback style centered in the 1960’s fashion scene complete with beehive hairdo set her apart from her contemporary counterparts.

And that’s when Amy’s world came crashing down.

In 2005, Amy went through a period of heavy drinking and drug use, which resulted in violent mood swings and considerable weight loss. She seemed to right herself and set off to create the songs for “Back to Black” when her grandmother died in mid-2006. Considered a stabilizing influence on her life, her death was apparently the trigger which led to Amy’s return to substance abuse and becoming a drug addict, a path she continued to follow until her death.

By August, 2007 Amy had cancelled several performances as rumors of her substance abuse were building around her. She was hospitalized at this time by what was reported as overdoses of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, and alcohol. It all came to a head in December of that year when Amy was photographed wandering around the streets of London in a daze wearing only a bra and jeans with no shoes on a cold, winter night.

For the next 4 years, Amy went through a series of rehabilitation efforts, followed by relapses into more alcohol and drug abuse, a pattern that would continue for the rest of her life. The effect on her personal life was powerful. Her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil lasted only a short time and was filled with reports of both substance abuse and violent behavior.

Cited in Amy’s song “Rehab” as “…but my daddy says I’m fine.” Her father spent time living with Amy to curb her addictions, even checking her into rehab clinics. By 2011, Amy’s father was quoted as saying that if her daughter didn’t stop abusing alcohol, she would die. Shortly afterwards, Amy checked herself into yet another rehab clinic which lasted a week. Less than two months later, Amy was found dead in her apartment apparently as a result of alcohol abuse.

It can be difficult for many to understand why such a gifted musician, loaded with fame and fortune can become a typical alcohol and drug addict.

Some has cited “The 27 curse” or “The 27 Club”, where a group of famous musicians like Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendricks, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison and even legendary blues singer Robert Johnson all died for various reasons at the age of 27. This doesn’t provide any explanation for their deaths and is most likely coincidental given the sheer number of musicians that have become famous.

If there is anything that can be learned from the erratic life of Amy Winehouse is that drug and alcohol abuse can affect anyone, no matter what fame or fortune they may achieve.