Amy Winehouse: The Before and After of Drugs and Alcohol

Amy Winehouse was an exceptional talent whose wild and all-too-brief career was cut short nine years ago. On July 23, 2011, the soul singer died of alcohol poisoning and became yet another member of the “27 Club.”

But long before this happened, we saw her rise to fame and gradually succumb to heartbreak, drugs and bad decisions.

Amy Winehouse: The Before and After of Drugs and Alcohol
Growing up, Amy Winehouse only wanted to do one thing: sing. She was the daughter of a cab driver and a pharmacist who grew up in the London suburb of Southgate.

When she was little, Winehouse was bored at school and rebelled against her teachers because she was only interested in one subject: music.

A poor girl with big dreams
At 12, Amy confidently competed at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. In her application, she wrote: “I would say that my school life and school reports are full of ‘could do better’ and ‘doesn’t give its full potential.’ I want to go somewhere where I am stretched to my limits and maybe even beyond.

To sing in classes without being told to shut up …. But mostly I have this dream of being very famous. To work on stage. It’s a lifelong ambition. I want people to listen to my voice and just … forget their problems for 5 minutes.

Amy had the talent and the ambition, and her school principal knew it: “It’s hard to overstate how much she struck me as unique, both as a songwriter and a performer, from the moment she walked through the door at the age of 13, sporting the same distinctive hairstyle she has now.

Her skills could put her in the same league as Judy Garland or Ella Fitzgerald. She could be one of the greats,” Sylvia Young recalled years later.

Amy was accepted into the school she wanted, where she was able to develop and hone her innate talent.