This past weekend, singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her house in London. While I was not surprised to hear this news, I was certainly saddened. Winehouse, for all her demons, was truly a talented singer.
She released her debut album Frank in 2003 when she was just 20 years old. Her style was influence by jazz, Sinatra, and girl groups of the ‘50s and ‘60s. She would only have one more studio album before her death, but it blew up the charts. Back to Black was released in late 2006 and hit number one on every chart except Australia (where it peaked at number four) and the U.S. (where it peaked at number two). The public loved songs like “Rehab,” but sadly, they spoke too true of Winehouse’s real struggles.
Lyrics like “They tried to make me go to rehab but I said ‘no, no, no” sounded good on the radio and Back to Black won Winehouse five Grammys, but her addiction was obviously out of control. She admitted to suffering from depression and eating disorders in interviews. She was reportedly hospitalized for overdosing on heroin, ecstasy, alcohol, cocaine, and ketamine in 2007 after being photographed outside her home wearing a bra and jeans. A video of a woman, thought to be Winehouse, smoking crack surfaced and in January 2008, she entered rehab. By April 2008, it appeared rehab hadn’t worked and her father tried to have her committed. However, Winehouse said in a 2010 interview that she had been drug-free for three years. In May 2011, she entered a mental health facility in England.
When she died, Winehouse was 27 years old, making her the newest member of rock-n-roll’s 27 Club. The 27 Club came about due to the amount of rockers who all died at the age of 27. There are unfortunately many members, but the main ones are Brian Jones (who drown to death), Jim Morrison (who died of heart failure), Jimi Hendrix (who asphyxiated on vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine), Janis Joplin (who died of a heroin overdose), and Kurt Cobain (who committed suicide). Although her career was short, it was influential and Winehouse will no doubt be remembered and missed just as fondly as the other members.