Amy Winehouse’s parents visited the growing shrine of flowers, messages and candles left in tribute outside her London home yesterday, as doctors carried out a post-mortem on the 27-year-old’s body.
Mitch and Janis Winehouse formally identified the British soul singer’s remains before going to see the growing memorial outside her home in Camden Square, north London. Taxi driver Mitch said they were “devastated” by Ms Winehouse’s death at her house on Saturday, which is not being treated as suspicious. The cause of death remains unknown.
With her sultry vocals and trademark beehive hairstyle, Ms Winehouse was considered one of the finest British female singers in years, but she had struggled with drink and drug addictions.
A post-mortem examination took place yesterday and an inquest was formally opened, allowing the body to be released to her family for her funeral. Police said the toxicology results are not expected for two to four weeks.
Amy Winehouse won acclaim with her 2003 debut album Frank but her second and last album, Back to Black, released in 2006, contained her biggest-selling single Rehab and propelled her to international success, landing her five Grammy awards.
She married Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami in May 2007 but they had a tempestuous relationship. He spent part of their marriage behind bars for attacking a pub landlord and a subsequent attempt to cover it up. They divorced in July 2009.
Ms Winehouse often laid bare her demons in her lyrics, but they increasingly took over, and she had to scrap a European comeback tour after stumbling through the opening performance in Belgrade on June 18.
Media reports yesterday said that with her health frail, her doctor had paid a routine check-up visit on Friday evening and left with no concerns.
Ms Winehouse had spoken to her security guard at around 10 a.m. on Saturday, when she was in her bedroom saying she wanted to sleep, her spokesman Chris Goodman told The Sun newspaper. He found her dead six hours later.
Mitch Winehouse, who flew back from New York after hearing of his daughter’s death, could barely speak as he was consoled by fans and well-wishers.
“Thank you for coming. This means so much to my family,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
Amy Winehouse was particularly close to her father, a jazz aficionado, who inspired her love of music by singing to her when she was a child.
“You people in the street, I can’t tell you what this means to us. It really is making this a lot easier for us,” he said.
“Amy was about one thing and that was love. Her whole life was devoted to her family and her friends. We’re devastated and I’m speechless.”
The singer’s mother was in tears when she looked at the tributes and took pictures of them on her mobile phone.