Remembering Amy Winehouse and her tragic story in photos

A unique style
Gone too soon
Amy always dreamt of being a musician
Amy began to pursue her goals at age 12
At 14 years old Amy wrote her own songs
Her first record deal at 19
Amy the
Amy had stage fright
When Amy met Blake...
Amy's behaviour changed
Blake admitted he introduced Amy to hard drugs
Blake and Amy eloped
A warning sign
Fame is a lot to handle
Amy and Blake were constantly in the tabloids
Amy won 5 Grammy Awards in 2008
Some say Amy's father didn't want her to get sober
Her most successful album
She couldn't travel to the ceremony
A downward spiral
Health problems
Amy did try to get clean
Amy could never stay clean
Amy began to cancel shows
By 2011 Winehouse barely had work
Amy Winehouse's last performance
Disastrous
Amy was booed off stage
Amy's doctor wanted her to get psychological help
Amy was resistant to help
Amy could not give up drinking
Amy didn't want to die
Winehouse spent her last night with her bodyguard
Watching videos of herself on her last night
Found the next day by Andrew Morris
No pulse
Gone too soon
Fans were not surprised
Who is responsible for Winehouse's death?
Many factors
Yet another member of the
A great talent lost
A unique style

Before Amy Winehouse began her long downward spiral that would ultimately end in her passing, the British pop icon directed her adoration for soul and jazz into a unique style of pop music that resounded with endless individuals.

Gone too soon

While the world adored her big hits like "Recovery," it alluded to her real battles with drugs and alcohol. Sadly, Amy Winehouse lost her battle against addiction, passing away in her home on July 23, 2011. This year marks the 11th anniversary of her tragic death; join us as we take a look at the highlights and downward spiral of Amy Winehouse's life and career.

Amy always dreamt of being a musician

Born Amy Jade Winehouse, the singer came into the world on September 14, 1983, in London, England. Amy grew up in a middle-class home and dreamt of being a musician from a young age. Her grandmother Cynthia nurtured young Amy's ambitions, as she herself was a former singer.

(Photo: YouTube)

Amy began to pursue her goals at age 12

When Amy was just nine years of age, her parents divorced, which was challenging for her. Later, at age twelve, she decided to pursue her ambitions and applied for a spot at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Pictured: Amy with her mother.

At 14 years old Amy wrote her own songs

Amy Winehouse was dedicated to making her dreams come true, and by age fourteen, she was already writing her own songs. However, it was at age sixteen she finally reached her jumping-off point when a singer she knew gave her demo tape to a record label that wanted a jazz singer.

(Photo: YouTube)

Her first record deal at 19

Thanks to her demo tape, by age 19, Amy had her first record deal. In 2003, a year later, her debut album 'Frank' was released and received critical acclaim.
Pictured: Amy in 2003.

Amy the "party girl"

Early on in her career, Amy earned a reputation of being a "party girl"; however, the truth about her addictions would soon come to light. When she met Blake Fielder-Civil, her bad habits got a whole lot worse.

Amy had stage fright

All of Amy's dreams were coming true, and her album was No. 3 on the British charts. Unfortunately, despite all her success, Winehouse struggled with stage anxiety in front of an audience that was constantly getting bigger.

When Amy met Blake...

Winehouse began to frequent pubs in Camden to help her unwind, and it was there that she would meet her future husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.

Amy's behaviour changed

Even though it was love at first sight with Blake for Amy, her friends and family became concerned about how her behaviour changed once she started going out with her new beau.

"Amy changed over night after she met Blake."

Nick Godwyn, who worked with Winehouse for six years and managed three of her tours, spoke about the change he saw in Amy in an interview with 'Times'. “Amy changed overnight after she met Blake. She just sounded completely different. Her personality became more distant. And it seemed to me like that was down to the drugs. When I met her she smoked weed but she thought the people who took class-A drugs were stupid. She used to laugh at them.”

Blake admitted he introduced Amy to hard drugs

Later, on ITV's 'Jeremey Kyle Show,' Blake Fielder-Civil admitted that he was the one that introduced Amy to hard drugs. The use of illegal substances combined with the tumultuous nature of the couple's relationship really made Amy Winehouse's life go off the rails.

Blake and Amy eloped

When Winehouse's second album 'Back to Black' was released, the performer found herself catapulted into international fame in 2006. Shortly after, in 2007, Blake and Amy eloped in Miami, Florida.

A warning sign

The song "Rehab" from 'Back to Black' was one of the first warning signs for fans in 2006, and soon Amy's problems became undeniable to the public.

Fame is a lot to handle

As Winehouse's fame grew, so did her reliance on alcohol and illegal substances to calm her demons. The paparazzi only made matters worse, documenting her and husband Blake Fielder-Civil's every move.

Amy and Blake were constantly in the tabloids

The marriage was not harmonious, and the couple dominated the tabloids but not in a positive light. They were arrested on several occasions for everything from assault to possession of illegal substances.

"...a co-dependent husband in jail..."

Amy took the most heat since she was the famous one in the marriage. In 2007 'The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “She’s only 24 with six Grammy nominations, crashing headfirst into success and despair, with a co-dependent husband in jail, exhibitionist parents with questionable judgment, and the paparazzi documenting her emotional and physical distress.”

Amy won 5 Grammy Awards in 2008

In her album 'Back to Black,' Amy explored her issues with substances abuse and made it clear she was not interested in rehab.

Some say Amy's father didn't want her to get sober

It was rumored that even her own father didn't want her to take time to get clean and that he prioritized her work over her health. '

Her most successful album

Back to Black' was Amy's most successful album, and she was nominated for six Grammy awards, of which she took home five.

She couldn't travel to the ceremony

However, Winehouse's legal troubles kept her from attending the 2008 Grammy ceremony in person. She was unable to obtain a U.S visa due to her legal issues and had to accept the awards from London via satellite.

A downward spiral

Despite being at the height of her career, Amy was most definitely in a downward spiral. When she won her Grammy awards, her husband was in prison for assaulting a pub landlord.

Health problems

That same year her father revealed that Amy had the early signs of what could lead to emphysema due to smoking hard drugs.

Amy did try to get clean

Alcohol was also a significant problem for the star, and she eventually ended up going to rehab on more than one occasion.
Pictured: Amy on her way to rehab in 2007.

Amy could never stay clean

However, despite her attempts, she was never able to recover from her addiction problem successfully.

Amy began to cancel shows

In 2009 Blake and Amy divorced, and Winehouse was cancelling show after show, even a much anticipated Coachella performance.

By 2011 Winehouse barely had work

By the time 2011 arrived, the award-winning singer was hardly working at all. Worst of all, when she did get on stage, she often couldn't perform properly, slurred her words, and often fell down.

Amy Winehouse's last performance

One month before her passing, Amy Winehouse began her comeback tour, performing in Belgrade, Serbia.

Disastrous

The performance was disastrous; Winehouse appeared on stage intoxicated and unable to remember the words to her songs or even the name of the city where she was performing.

Amy was booed off stage

The audience of 20,000 people booed her so loudly she was forced off the stage. It would be the last show she would ever perform.

Amy's doctor wanted her to get psychological help

Meanwhile, Christina Romete, Amy Winehouse's doctor, had been attempting to get the star into psychological therapy for months.

Amy was resistant to help

However, Winehouse was resistant to the idea, so Romete focused on what she could do to aid the performer with her physical health. She prescribed Amy Librium to help with her alcohol withdrawal symptoms and anxiety.

Amy could not give up drinking

Despite her best attempts, Amy simply wasn't capable of giving up alcohol. According to her doctor, it was a constant cycle, and the singer was unable to stay sober for more than a few weeks at a time.

Amy didn't want to die

The night before she died, Winehouse called her doctor to tell her that she had relapsed yet again, that she didn't want to die, and apologized for wasting the doctor's time.

Winehouse spent her last night with her bodyguard

That same night, Amy stayed awake watching YouTube videos of her early performances with her bodyguard Andrew Morris.

Watching videos of herself on her last night

In a Channel 5 documentary about Amy Winehouse's death, Andrew Morris spoke of that night: "She was showing me some clips on her laptop, and she was singing, and she said, 'Boy, I can sing,' and I said, 'Damn right, you can sing'."

Found the next day by Andrew Morris

The next morning, Amy's bodyguard and friend planned to wake her up at ten o'clock in the morning, but she appeared to still be resting, so he left her. It wasn't until 3 pm that Morris realized something was wrong.

No pulse

In a statement to 'The Independent, ' Morris said, “It was still quiet, which seemed strange. She was in the same position as in the morning. I checked her pulse but I couldn’t find one.”

Gone too soon

On July 23rd, 2011, Amy Winehouse passed away due to alcohol poisoning. The coroner noted that her blood-alcohol level was .416, five times higher than the legal driving limit in England.

Fans were not surprised

Although fans around the world mourned the sudden loss of the British star, very few were surprised. Amy Winehouse's death was foreshadowed by her way of life.

Who is responsible for Winehouse's death?

Following Amy Winehouse's death, there was a lot of finger-pointing. In the documentary 'Amy' viewers learn about how Amy's own father (pictured in blue shirt) hesitated to send her to rehab for help with her addictions.

Many factors

However, others such as the paparazzi and her ex-husband Blake have also been heavily accused of contributing to her downward spiral.

Yet another member of the "27 Club"

Amy Winehouse was just 27 years old when she died far before her time, joining many other tortured artists who pertain to the "27 Club".

A great talent lost

The music world lost yet another icon much too early. We can't help but wonder if Winehouse had been able to recover from her addictions what she would be doing now.