Never forgotten. Amy Winehouse wowed listeners with her soulful sound early in her career, leading to international stardom for the English singer. However, her untimely death at age 27 in July 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning meant her time in the spotlight was cut short.
Since then, musical powerhouses such as Adele and Lady Gaga have paid tribute to the late songstress. “Happy Birthday Amy X,” the “Hello” singer tweeted in September 2016, alongside a photo of the smiling Grammy winner.
The “When We Were Young” vocalist often expressed her adoration for her fellow Brit. “I love Amy. I always have, I always will,” she told Vice’s i-D magazine in October 2015. “Do you know what makes me supersad? That I’m never going to hear her voice again, other than how I’ve heard it.”
Gaga was similarly heartbroken upon learning of Winehouse’s death. “It really affected me quite deeply,” the A Star Is Born actress told Rolling Stone in August 2011. “I’m just really glad that we got to admire her and tell her how much we loved her when she was alive. I hope she knows now in Heaven, where she is, how much we all loved her.”
The Oscar winner noted how inspiring Winehouse was to her early on in her career. “I’m a huge fan,” Gaga said. “She was my only hope when I was up and coming. Nobody knew who I was and I had no fans, no record label, and everybody, when they met me, said I wasn’t pretty enough or that my voice was too low or strange. They had nowhere to put me. And then I saw her in Rolling Stone and I saw her live. I just remember thinking, ‘Well, they found somewhere to put Amy.’”
Scroll to revisit Winehouse’s career and life in photos.
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October 2003
Inking a publishing deal with EMI, Winehouse released her debut album, Frank, on October 20, 2003. It was widely praised by critics and achieved platinum status.
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January 2004
Winehouse attended London’s BRIT Awards in support of her debut album, walking away with trophies for Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Act.
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October 2006
Shortly after demos of her tracks “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab” were played on pal Mark Ronson’s NYC radio show, the singer released her second record, Back to Black. The album skyrocketed to No. 1 on the U.K. album charts and went on to sell nearly 2 million copies in the U.K. in 2007.
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July 2007
Winehouse and her new husband, Blake Fielder-Civil (they wed in May 2007), stepped out together at the MTV Movie Awards.
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August 2007
One month later, the couple were photographed bloodied and bruised after an alleged fight. Winehouse admitted in an interview that she was sometimes violent toward her husband. She said, “If he says one thing I don’t like, then I’ll chin him.”
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February 2008
Appearing via satellite at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, the singer was nominated for six awards and won five, including Best New Artist.
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June 2009
Hospitalized for dehydration, the singer’s parents publicly begged Winehouse to seek treatment for her addictions. “I need my daughter to be a whole person again,” dad Mitch told reporters.
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July 2009
After two years of fights and arrests, the “Love Is a Losing Game” singer and Fielder-Civil ended their two-year marriage.
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June 2010
The singer attended the U.K. premiere of Psychosis with her on-off director boyfriend Reg Traviss.
Credit: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic
May 2011
The troubled singer kept a low profile until the spring, when she announced plans to seek additional treatment for alcohol addiction. She checked out of Priory Clinic after less than a week.
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June 2011
Winehouse forgot her own lyrics during a concert in Serbia and her European tour was subsequently canceled. “Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best,” her spokesman said at the time. “She will be given as long as it takes for this to happen.”
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July 2011
Winehouse was found dead in her Camden Square apartment in London on July 23, 2011. Her cause of death was later determined to be accidental alcohol poisoning. “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer,” her record label, Universal Music Group, told Us Weekly in a statement at the time.
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July 2011
“She died alone in bed,” the singer’s friend and rep, Chris Goodman, said after her body was discovered by the security guard appointed to look after her.
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July 2011
Winehouse was survived by her parents, Mitch and Janis, as well as her older brother, Alex. The family told Us in a statement that they were “left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives.”
