Amy Winehouse: The Before and After of Drugs and Alcohol

A career on the rise from a young age Amy Winehouse was only 19 years old when she signed her first record deal. A year later, her debut album “Frank” was released in 2004 and immediately reached number 3 in the British charts. Amy not only sang, but also wrote about her life, specifically her love affairs.

Amy was a white woman with a black soul voice, critics said. And she herself drew inspiration from the 1960s, calling Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald her role models. The flamboyant singer also adapted a 1970s fashion style with the signature beehive hairstyle and thick eyeliner. But her great success was combined with a growing discomfort on stage and a fear of performing in front of large audiences.

Perhaps to compensate, she began wandering clubs and bars after concerts and drowned the pressure of performing in alcohol.

A tragic end
Eighteen months after their heartbreaking separation, Blake Fielder-Civil sought Amy out again, and she couldn’t turn him down. The two married, but the relationship was strained, until they divorced about 2 years later in 2009.

Winehouse’s career simultaneously stalled. She often staggered drunkenly on stage and her once powerful voice sounded weak and hollow. Audiences booed her. Concerts were stopped and entire tours canceled, for “health reasons,” her management said.

But everyone knew Amy Winehouse had a big problem with alcohol and drugs. Between the heartbreak and the excesses, Amy’s health was deteriorating. And not only did her physical appearance change, but also her concerts and events went downhill.

On July 23, 2011, her bodyguard found her dead in her London apartment. The cause of death was poisoning.