I mentioned the death of Amy Winehouse yesterday. But I did so only as an afterthought in my commentary on the death of Lucian Freud. The backlash was fast and furious. Her fans made me realize I showed unwitting disrespect towards Winehouse.
However, it turned out the disrespect was not what I wrote. It was that I appended it as a mere afterthought. So I hope this commentary shows Winehouse the respect she’s due.
Remembering Amy Winehouse
Winehouse, a notorious drug user, died on Saturday. I respect all of those who rushed to post tributes. But, despite being a big fan, I did not. I was reluctant to write about her all-too-predictable death. And it’s for the same reason I would be reluctant to write about Charlie Sheen if he died today.
Frankly, there was nothing unique or pioneering about Winehouse. She undoubtedly had a great, soulful voice – for a white girl. But a blue-eyed soul sister named Teena Marie had already been there and done that. Winehouse even had more noteworthy peers like Lady Gaga, Adele, and Joss Stone.
Drugs fueled her fame
Sadly, what distinguished Amy, and fueled her celebrity, was her apparent determination to emulate the likes of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Cobain. That, of course, is by following their self-destructive path to early death.
Like them, she died at age 27. But that alone is not reason enough to accord her the legendary status they earned. And for fans to hail her as the latest macabre ’27 Club’ member is to insinuate willful suicide.
Her life was a train wreck just waiting to happen. Yet many fans now mourning her death found this perversely entertaining. That’s why her popularity and album sales had almost as much to do with her drug-addled lifestyle as her husky, smoke-tuned voice.
An employee found her sprawled out dead in her London apartment. The scene was remarkably similar to the way a maid discovered Marilyn Monroe. Winehouse’s toxicology report is pending. But the police have already ruled out foul play. Of course, a 27-year-old doesn’t just drop dead from natural causes.” So it’s reasonable to deduce that her death was drug or booze related.
May she rest in peace.