103 Facts About Amy Winehouse

Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer, songwriter, and musician.

Amy Winehouse formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record publishers.

Amy Winehouse released her follow-up album, Back to Black, in 2006.

At the 2007 Brit Awards, it was nominated for British Album of the Year and Amy Winehouse received the award for British Female Solo Artist.

Amy Winehouse struggled throughout her life with substance abuse, mental illness and addiction.

Amy Winehouse died at her Camden Square home in London of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27, prompting media references to the 27 Club.

Amy Jade Winehouse was born on 14 September 1983 at Chase Farm Hospital in Gordon Hill in Enfield, London, to Jewish parents.

Amy Winehouse's father, Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, was a window panel installer and taxi driver; her mother, Janis Winehouse, was a pharmacist.

Amy Winehouse's mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003.

Amy Winehouse attended a Jewish Sunday school while she was a child.

Amy Winehouse's parents separated when she was nine, and she lived with her mother in Whetstone, London and stayed with her father and his girlfriend in Hatfield Heath, Essex on weekends.

In 1992, her grandmother Cynthia suggested that Amy Winehouse attend the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, where she went on Saturdays to further her vocal education and to learn to tap dance.

Amy Winehouse attended the school for four years and founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour, with Juliette Ashby, her childhood friend, before seeking full-time training at Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Amy Winehouse attended the Mount School, Mill Hill and the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon, dropping out at age 16.

However, by that time Amy Winehouse had already recorded a number of songs, signed a publishing deal with EMI, and formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi.

Amy Winehouse was signed to Island while rival interest in her had started to build with representatives of EMI and Virgin Records starting to make moves.

Amy Winehouse's voice was compared with those of Sarah Vaughan and Macy Gray, among others.

Amy Winehouse hired New York singer Sharon Jones's longtime band, the Dap-Kings, to back her up in the studio and on tour.

Mitch Winehouse relates in Amy, My Daughter how fascinating watching her process was: her perfectionism in the studio and how she would put what she had sung on a CD and play it in his taxi outside to know how most people would hear her music.

Amy Winehouse in turn thought that when they first met, he was a sound engineer and that she was expecting an older man with a beard.

Amy Winehouse was a vocalist on the song "Valerie" on Ronson's solo album Version.

Amy Winehouse was in talks of working with Missy Elliott for her album Block Party.

Amy Winehouse promoted the release of Back to Black with headline performances in late 2006, including a Little Noise Sessions charity concert at the Union Chapel in Islington, London.

Mitch Winehouse wrote about her nervousness before public performances in his 2012 book, Amy, My Daughter.

On 10 February 2008, Amy Winehouse received five Grammy Awards, winning in the following categories: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Rehab", and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Amy Winehouse ended her acceptance speech for Record of the Year with, "This is for London because Camden Town ain't burning down," in reference to the 2008 Camden Market fire.

On 20 February 2008, Amy Winehouse performed at the 2008 Brit Awards at Earls Court in London, performing "Valerie" with Mark Ronson, followed by "Love Is a Losing Game".

Amy Winehouse won the award for "Love Is a Losing Game" and was nominated for "You Know I'm No Good".

Amy Winehouse was nominated for a 2008 MTV Europe Music Award in the Act of the Year category.

Amy Winehouse performed at Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Party concert at London's Hyde Park on 27 June 2008, and the next day at the Glastonbury Festival.

Organisers said that Amy Winehouse attracted the biggest crowds of the festival.

Amy Winehouse had agreed to form a group with Questlove of the Roots, but her problems obtaining a visa delayed their working together.

In May 2009, Amy Winehouse returned to performing at a jazz festival in Saint Lucia amid torrential downpours and technical difficulties.

Amy Winehouse apologised to the crowd for being "bored" and ended the set in the middle of a song.

Amy Winehouse performed "Valerie" with Ronson at a movie premiere but forgot some of the song's lyrics.

In January 2011, Amy Winehouse played five dates in Brazil, with opening acts of Janelle Monae and Mayer Hawthorne.

Amy Winehouse was reported to be tired, distracted and "tipsy" during the performance.

On 18 June 2011, Amy Winehouse started her 12-leg European tour in Belgrade.

The local press claimed that Amy Winehouse was forced to perform by her bodyguards, who did not allow her to leave the stage when she tried to do so.

Amy Winehouse then pulled out of performances in Istanbul and Athens, which had been scheduled for the following week.

Amy Winehouse's last recording was a duet with American singer Tony Bennett for his album Duets II, released on 20 September 2011.

Amy Winehouse joined a campaign to stop a block of flats being built beside the George Tavern, a famous London East End music venue.

Amy Winehouse loaned a vintage dress used in her video for "Tears Dry on Their Own" as well as a DVD to the British Music Experience, a new museum dedicated to the history of British pop music.

Amy Winehouse's finances are run by Mitch and Janis Winehouse.

In January 2009, Amy Winehouse announced that she was launching her own record label.

Amy Winehouse entered into a joint venture in 2009 with EMI to launch a range of wrapping paper and gift cards containing song lyrics from her album Back to Black.

On 8 January 2010, a television documentary, My Daughter Amy Winehouse, aired on Channel 4.

Amy Winehouse was a notable fan of the brand Fred Perry.

Amy Winehouse collaborated on a 17-piece fashion collection with the label, which was released for sale in October 2010.

Amy Winehouse was a 5-foot-3 almanac of visual reference, most famously to Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, but to the white British soul singer Mari Wilson, less famous for her sound than her beehive; to the punk god Johnny Thunders.

Amy Winehouse's look was repeatedly denigrated by the British press.

Amy Winehouse was ranked number two on Richard Blackwell's 48th annual "Ten Worst Dressed Women" list, behind Victoria Beckham.

Psychologist Donna Dawson commented that the results demonstrated that women like Amy Winehouse who had "a certain sense of vulnerability or have had to fight against some adversity in their lives" received recognition.

Amy Winehouse said that public interest in the singer's lifestyle did not make her lifestyle newsworthy.

Amy Winehouse was raised Jewish and expressed pride in being Jewish, although she was not religious.

Amy Winehouse had 14 known tattoos, including "Daddy's Girl" on her left arm for her father and a pin-up girl with the name "Cynthia" on her right arm in memory of her Jewish grandmother.

In 2011, there were reports that Amy Winehouse was in the process of adopting a 10-year-old girl from St Lucia named Dannika Augustine.

However, Amy Winehouse's representative denied these claims, stating that the adoption story was not true.

Amy Winehouse married Winehouse on 18 May 2007, in Miami Beach, Florida.

Fielder-Civil was quoted in a British tabloid as saying he introduced Amy Winehouse to crack cocaine and heroin.

The incident, in July 2007, involved his assault of a pub landlord that broke the victim's cheekbone, and saw Amy Winehouse briefly arrested in connection with it.

Amy Winehouse was in a relationship with a British writer and film director Reg Traviss, from early 2010 until her death.

Amy Winehouse's family believes that the mid-2006 death of her grandmother, who was a stabilising influence, set her off into addiction.

Amy Winehouse was hospitalised during this period for what was reported as an overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol.

In December 2007, Amy Winehouse's spokesman reported that the singer was in a physician-supervised programme and was channelling her difficulties by writing a lot of music.

In January 2008, the British tabloid The Sun posted a video in which Amy Winehouse appeared to be smoking crack cocaine and speaking of having taken ecstasy and Valium.

Later that morning, Amy Winehouse attended a remand hearing for her husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who was then awaiting trial on charges of perverting the course of justice.

Shortly after the alleged crack cocaine incident, Amy Winehouse's father moved in with her, to keep her under '24-hour watch'.

Amy Winehouse's physician said that Winehouse was treated with Librium for alcohol withdrawal and anxiety and underwent psychological and psychiatric evaluations in 2010, but refused psychological therapy.

In 2006, Amy Winehouse admitted to punching a female fan in the face for criticising her for having a relationship with then-boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil.

Amy Winehouse then attacked Fielder-Civil as he attempted to calm her down, kneeing him in the crotch.

Amy Winehouse first appealed the fines, but later dropped the appeal.

On 26 April 2008, Amy Winehouse was cautioned after she admitted to police she slapped a 38-year-old man in the face, a "common assault" offence, her first of two.

Amy Winehouse voluntarily turned herself in and was held overnight.

Two London residents were subsequently convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and ecstasy to Amy Winehouse, leading to a two-year prison sentence for one, and a two-year community order.

On 5 March 2009, Amy Winehouse was arrested and charged with common assault following a claim by dancer Sherene Flash that Amy Winehouse hit her in the eye at the September 2008 Prince's Trust charity ball.

Amy Winehouse testified that she did not punch Flash, but tried to push her away because she was scared of her; she cited her worry that Flash would sell her story to a tabloid, Flash's height advantage, and Flash's "rude" behaviour.

On 19 December 2009, Amy Winehouse was arrested for a third time on charges of common assault and public order offence after assaulting the front-of-house manager of the Milton Keynes Theatre when he asked her to move to a different seat after noisy participation in the pantomime playing, and advised her not to drink more than she already had.

On 23 June 2008, Amy Winehouse's publicist corrected earlier misstatements by Mitch Amy Winehouse that his daughter had early-stage emphysema, saying that she instead had signs of what could lead to early-stage emphysema.

Mitch Amy Winehouse had stated that his daughter's lungs were operating at 70 percent capacity and that she had an irregular heartbeat.

Amy Winehouse said that these problems had been caused by her chain smoking crack cocaine.

Amy Winehouse was released from the London Clinic 24 hours after returning from a temporary leave to perform at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebration and at a concert in Glastonbury, and continued receiving treatment as an outpatient.

Amy Winehouse began precautionary testing on her lungs and chest on 25 October 2008 at the London Clinic for what was reported as a chest infection, leaving and returning at will.

Amy Winehouse returned to the hospital on 23 November 2008 due to a reported reaction to her medication.

Amy Winehouse's bodyguard said that he had arrived at her residence three days before her death and felt she had been somewhat intoxicated.

Amy Winehouse's bodyguard continued to observe her drinking moderately over the next few days since his arrival, and later said she had been "laughing, listening to music and watching TV at 2 am the day of her death".

Amy Winehouse was the happiest she has been for years.

Amy Winehouse would have died eventually, the way she was going, but what really killed her was the bulimia.

Amy Winehouse's funeral was held on 26 July 2011 at Edgwarebury Lane Cemetery in North London, it was a private ceremony attended by family and friends.

On 16 September 2012, Amy Winehouse's ashes were buried alongside those of her grandmother Cynthia Levy at Edgwarebury Lane Cemetery.

At the time of her death, Amy Winehouse had sold over 1.75 million singles and over 3.98 million albums in the United Kingdom.

Amy Winehouse sounded like an original sixties soul star, developed when the landscape had no rules.

On 13 February 2012, Amy Winehouse was ranked 26th on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music list.

Amy Winehouse was immortalised at the world-famous London Madame Tussauds on 23 July 2008.

Amy Winehouse herself had expressed surprise at plans to make a waxwork of her, stating that she believed a person 'had to be dead' before a waxwork was made of them.

Amy Winehouse did not make herself available for sittings for the Madame Tussauds waxwork, which was instead done from photos.

Amy Winehouse was in love with Camden and it is the place her fans from all over the world associate her with.

In 2018, the artist Dan Llywelyn Hall's portrait of the singer, Amy Winehouse's Glance, was exhibited at the London Art Fair.

The film is accompanied by An Intimate Evening in London, footage of a show Amy Winehouse gave at Riverside Studios, London in 2008.

In October 2018, it was announced that Amy Winehouse's estate had signed a multi-million pound deal to make a film biopic about her life and career.

In July 2021, a new documentary titled Reclaiming Amy aired on BBC Two to mark the 10th anniversary of Winehouse's death.

In January 2023, it was revealed that British actress Marisa Abela would play the leading role of Amy Winehouse and filming commenced later that month in London.

The film attracted mixed reviews, with criticism for a selective depiction of Amy Winehouse's life, including the complete omission of Reg Traviss, and over-sympathetic depictions of Mitch Amy Winehouse, and Blake Fielder-Civil, but praise for the acting.