It has been 14 years since the death of Amy Winehouse.
In her 27 years of life and with just two albums, she left behind a significant musical legacy, with raw and original expression of emotions through her music.
Her life was a real rollercoaster – marked by drugs, alcohol, turbulent relationships, and the constant flash of paparazzi cameras. But above all, Amy fought most against herself, which ultimately led her to become the most famous tragic figure of the first decade of the 21st century.
“I’m sorry. I was awful. I don’t want to waste your time” – with these words, 14 years ago in London’s Abbey Road studio, Amy Winehouse nervously interrupted the recording of the duet Body and Soul with legendary American pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett.
It would turn out that Bennett, in those very moments, recognized not only the powerful musical talent Amy possessed but also how shy and insecure the controversial singer truly was—someone who was throwing away her achievements with drugs and alcohol.
“Amy had a gift. She was a natural, a true jazz singer. And a jazz artist doesn’t want 50,000 people in the audience,” Bennett said honestly, just a few months before her death on July 23, 2011—words that could well be the closest thing to a diagnosis of the English singer-songwriter.
Amy, who entered the music world in her teenage years through local jazz bands, had by then already shot to global fame—with just two studio albums and a handful of singles. However, it seemed that the enormous media attention was a curse for her, one that caused her to quickly spiral downward.
Her first album, Frank, released in 2003 when she was just 19, was named after one of her musical idols, Frank Sinatra. Although it didn’t achieve commercial success at the time, it gained a cult following.
Three years later, her second album, Back to Black, paved the way to the top of the music world with hits like Rehab and You Know I’m No Good. It won five Grammy Awards, became one of the best-selling albums in British music history, and reached number two on the Billboard chart in the U.S. More than 16 million copies have been sold worldwide.
“Only Good for Singing”
Amy’s vocal range was technically impressive, and her style—a mix of soul, jazz, and blues—made her one of the most influential and beloved artists of her generation.
The Beehive and Bold Eyeliner
Amy also stood out for her unique fashion sense, inspired by the retro aesthetics of the 1950s and 60s, which left a lasting mark on pop culture. The image most often associated with her is her teased black hair and tall beehive hairstyle—but few people know it actually came about by accident.
Alex Foden, Amy’s hairstylist, reportedly once teased her hair and piled it high just to make her laugh. But Amy loved it, and the look stuck.
She often joked that her signature beehive, which resembled a giant beehive nest, grew bigger the deeper her emotional troubles became. Judging by the size of her hair, her struggles only got heavier with time.
Another key part of her look was the thick black eyeliner, drawn well beyond the edges of her eyes, which became her trademark. Combined with her many tattoos, it gave off the impression of a rebellious “bad girl”—a look that only added to her mystique.
The most striking of her tattoos was the pin-up girl on her left shoulder, dedicated to her grandmother Cynthia, affectionately called “Cynti.” It was Amy’s way of showing respect and love for the woman who had a deep influence on her life.
Amy often wore short, retro, and romantic dresses, paired with bold jewelry—large earrings, chunky bracelets—and either ballet flats or high-heeled pumps. Her fashion was as unique and expressive as her music.
She also had a piercing above her lip, which, according to some stories, was one of the reasons she got expelled from primary school.
But on the flip side of her style and talent were her troubled relationships, alcohol, and drugs—in short, self-destruction. These struggles eventually led the British singer of Jewish descent to become a member of the infamous “27 Club.”
This so-called club includes famous musicians who died at the age of 27, and it has become a symbol of young talent lost too soon due to drugs, alcohol, the pressures of fame, and mental health issues. Amy wasn’t the first, nor was she the last global star to fall into the trap of addiction.
“I’m my own worst enemy. I know what I want, but sometimes I tend to make the wrong choices,” Amy once said, describing the inner battles that often overshadowed her music.
Years earlier, when asked by a reporter how she would handle public pressure, it was clear she didn’t yet fully understand what life in the spotlight would demand.
“The more people look at me, the more they’ll realize I’m only good at singing. Just leave me alone so I can do that—make music,” she replied, almost innocently. Then she’d roll a joint in the club bathroom, giggling, and step onto the stage with just her acoustic guitar and raw talent.
After her death, doctors said that the combination of alcohol, hard drugs, and an eating disorder had paved the way to her tragic and early end.
Ignoring Bulimia
Amy’s older brother, Alex, later pointed out that it wasn’t drugs and alcohol that killed her, as most people assumed, but bulimia. He said the eating disorder had weakened her body, destroyed her immune system, and made her more vulnerable—so much so that alcohol poisoning became the final cause of death.
While the media dissected Amy’s life after her passing and raised awareness about addiction, they barely touched on her battle with bulimia. Even the 2015 documentary Amy, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, only briefly mentioned that she never received treatment for her eating disorder.
Darkus Binns, an executive at Island Records, shared a revealing moment in the documentary. During a recording break, Amy had eaten a large amount of food and a heavy dessert. Then she disappeared for 45 minutes and returned looking dazed.
“The studio manager called me and said, ‘You need to see this,’” Binns recalled. “She took me to the women’s restroom. It was a mess. Clearly, Amy had been washing her face and wiping it on towels that were now all over the floor. That’s when I started to realize something was seriously wrong.”
These signs, often missed or overlooked, were a quiet warning about a much deeper struggle that played a devastating role in Amy’s tragic end.
Janis Winehouse, Amy’s mother, a pharmacist by profession, also admitted that she didn’t pay enough attention when Amy, at just 15 years old, proudly told her she had found the “perfect” diet—eating whatever she wanted and then making herself throw up.
“I clearly didn’t pay enough attention to it. I thought it was just a phase she would grow out of. She later told Mitch (her father) about it too. He kind of brushed it off, didn’t take it seriously. But that was bulimia, and bulimia doesn’t just go away,” Janis said.
Amy’s fans, however, often point to a specific moment as the start of her downfall. They believe it began in 2005, when she met Blake Fielder-Civil in a dark London bar. He would soon introduce her to syringes and heroin—but he would also become one of the central figures behind the emotional depth of her music. Many of her most haunting and honest lyrics were inspired by their intense, toxic relationship.
Blake, the Tabloids, and Rehab
Amy and Blake Fielder-Civil got married in 2007 in Miami, but their marriage was short and turbulent. It ended two years later after Blake was sent to prison.
In 2013, Blake spoke with remorse about the moment he learned of Amy’s death. He said prison guards had to show him the news online because he thought it was fake.
“They showed me BBC. I broke down right then and there and couldn’t stop crying—they had to take me back to my cell,” he recalled. To this day, Blake remains one of the most disliked figures among Amy’s fans, many of whom blame him for her decline.
Photos of Amy clinging to Blake’s hand, with smudged makeup, torn clothes, and a worn-out look while walking the streets of London, often splashed across tabloid covers. The media followed their every move, turning their troubled love story into front-page drama.
The couple tried to go through drug rehab together, despite doctors advising they undergo treatment separately. But their efforts usually ended with both of them running away from the rehab facility, continuing their destructive cycle.
The song Rehab, with its catchy and instantly recognizable chorus where Amy sings “no, no, no” to going to rehab, quickly became one of her biggest hits. Ironically, the lyrics reflected her real-life resistance to treatment.
Today, 19 years later, Rehab has over 300 million views on YouTube, standing as both a global anthem and a haunting reminder of the inner battles Amy faced.
Paparazzi Harassment and Neglect from Those Close to Her
The constant negative media coverage and relentless stalking by paparazzi deeply disturbed Amy’s fragile personality. She was under a microscope, her every move turned into a headline.
In 2009, Amy actually won a lawsuit against the press for invasion of privacy and harassment. But even after the legal victory, the harassment didn’t stop. Desperate and overwhelmed, Amy began to take matters into her own hands—sometimes physically lashing out at photographers. These incidents only added fuel to the tabloids’ portrayal of her as out of control.
Headlines often labeled her as “drunk,” “wild,” or “washed-up,” accompanied by unflattering photos taken at her worst moments. One British satirist even cruelly joked, “Did you see Amy in the papers? She looked like a poster for rescuing neglected horses.”
While the world watched and judged, few truly saw how much she was struggling—and how little real help she was getting.
And it wasn’t just the media—according to the documentary Amy, even her managers and some of her closest people were taking advantage of her. Reports suggested that certain family members only stepped in when there was money to be made.
Her father, Mitch, a former taxi driver whom Amy longed to be close to, was shown filming an exclusive documentary while she was trying to privately recover on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. The timing and motives behind his presence were heavily criticized.
Mitch, who had divorced Amy’s mother Janis during her childhood, angrily responded to the film’s claims, insisting that the documentary had “twisted” the truth. Still, many fans and viewers were left with the impression that Amy, despite being surrounded by people, was often left alone when she needed real support the most.
Tour Canceled After Belgrade Disaster
Amy Winehouse performed for the last time on June 18, 2011, in Belgrade—just one month before her bodyguard, Andrew Morris, found her lifeless in bed at her London home.
The Belgrade concert was meant to mark her big comeback, but it turned out to be the opposite. She arrived an hour late, stepping onto the stage in a green and black bamboo-print dress.
Instead of enjoying her hits, the audience witnessed a heartbreaking scene—Amy staggering, mumbling lyrics, and struggling to stay upright. It was clear she wasn’t well. Her management quickly canceled the rest of her European tour, saying she needed time to recover.
In a way, that concert felt like Amy’s farewell to the music world—a chaotic, rebellious final performance that was booed by both the Serbian crowd and international media.
To this day, the question remains: Who was Amy Winehouse, really? In front of the cameras, we saw all sides of her—victim, artist, wanderer. A woman who gave us her truth, even when it was painful to watch.
Today, instead of hearing about new music from Amy Winehouse, we read about her dresses being sold at auctions, emotional tributes held in her memory, and the occasional tear and flower placed beside her 160-centimeter-tall statue in Camden.
At the initiative of her family, the Amy Winehouse Foundation was established—not only to preserve her legacy but also to support young people struggling with addiction. Through this work, Amy’s story continues to inspire and help others facing the same battles she once did.
The most recent film, Back to Black (2024), brought her story full circle—offering a final, heartfelt look at the tragic life of a small woman who left a massive impact on pop music. Her voice, her pain, and her brilliance still echo in every note she ever sang.
