The soul / R&B singer and infamous icon Amy Winehouse has been found dead in her London home in Camden. She was 27. The UK police made the report, and had been called to her home at 4pm. She was pronounced dead at the scene; police are reporting the cause of death as ‘unexplained’ and there has been no additional information released at this time.
The Metropolitan Police released a statement, noting that London Ambulance Service notified police Saturday afternoon. It appears that resuscitation services were not performed, but that has not been confirmed. It’s unknown if her father, Mitchell Winehouse, has been notified of her passing.
In 2009, ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil told the Sun (full story at NME) about his near-death experience with Winehouse: “I knelt over her as she kept on fitting. But then suddenly she just passed out and stopped breathing,” he said. “It was the most frightening thing I had ever seen. I felt sure I was watching her die right in front of me. I didn’t know what to do or how to save her. I held her to me – and I thought she was dying in my arms. But somehow I managed to open her mouth and breathe air down her throat.”
Earlier this year, the singer cancelled the rest of her European tour around Serbia, in response to a very poor performance in Belgrade, where she stumbled through her set, missing key points and notes onstage. More recently, Winehouse had been seen with her 15-year-old goddaughter and soul-singer Dionne Bromfield, also signed to Winehouse’s Lioness Records label, at the iTunes festival at the Roundhouse in London. While she didnt perform, it was a rare sighting regardless, as she was there to watch over Bromfield as she supported the boy band The Wanted.
Winehouse made her debut album, Frank, in 2003. Her follow-up 2006 album, Back to Black, brought her six Grammy nominations; she took home five wins, becoming the first UK artist to win five Grammys. Since then, she had enjoyed a strong following and musical growth, appearing on songs with everyone from Mark Ronson to rapper Wale. Sadly, her off-stage struggle with drugs and alcohol, and a revolving door with rehab clinics, continued to compete with her musical headlines, and these issues will likely swirl rumors about her death until the official cause is reported to the public by police investigators.
Amy Winehouse was one of the best of her kind.Rest in peace!