Amy Winehouse Dies; Troubled Singer Reportedly Found Dead in Home

ByDEAN SCHABNER

July 23, 2011

Amy Winehouse, the volatile singer whose career was rocked by drug addiction and alcohol abuse, has died, according to reports in the British media. She was 27.
She was found dead in her northwest London home, London police told The Associated Press.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the BBC that it was not yet clear what the cause of death was.
Winehouse, once one of the hottest acts in pop music, was jeered and booed off the stage in Belgrade, Serbia, last month when she was attempting to attempting to launch a new European tour. She cancelled the rest of the events on the planned tour.
In June 2008, the singer was rushed to a hospital after she fainted at home. Shortly afterwards, her father said in an interview that she was suffering from the emphysema and had been warned by doctors that she would die if she continued smoking crack cocaine and cigarettes.
Her representatives played down the severity of the diagnosis, although a spokesman has confirmed that Winehouse had a "touch of" emphysema.

Her battle against drug addiction often overshadowed her recording success. In August 2007, at the height of her promotional tour for her breakout second album, "Back to Black," Winehouse cancelled a number of shows in the UK and Europe, citing exhaustion and ill health.
Soon after, Winehouse and her then husband were photographed, bloodied and bruised, in the streets of London after an alleged fight.
In January 2008, British newspaper The Sun posted a video of Winehouse allegedly smoking crack cocaine and talking about taking ecstacy and valium. The video was later passed onto investigators, who arrested and questioned Winehouse but did not file charges against her.
Later that month, Winehouse finally checked into rehab, but left the treatment program two weeks later. She won five Grammys at February's awards ceremony, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year.
In addition to her health woes, Winehouse often found herself embroiled in legal drama.
In October 2007, Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested in Norway for possession of marijuana. They were later released and fined.
She was accused of trying to interfere in the trial of her husband, who was sentenced to a 27 months in prison for charges stemming from his assault of a pub landlord in June 2007.
But Winehouse's health and legal problems didn't hinder her popularity. In May, The Sunday Times newspaper's annual Rich List estimated her wealth at $20 million. According to the same paper, "Back to Black" had sold nine million copies worldwide as of July 2008.