Padre Press
Winehouse joins the infamous 27 ClubThursday, October 20, 2011 By Lynsey Law
Grief struck the music industry when 27-year-old Amy Winehouse was found dead on July 23, 2011, in her London home. It was known throughout the world that Winehouse dealt with drug and alcohol abuse. Since her death, authorities have determined that at the time of her death there was no sign of drugs or alcohol in her system. With her death, Winehouse becomes the latest member of the so-called “27 Club” which includes fellow artists Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones and Robert Johnson, all of whom died when they were 27. There is still no confirmation on the official cause of her death. Medical examiners thought she had a seizure due to alcohol withdrawl, but officials are still unsure. “I was so shocked at first,” said senior Izabella Fernandez, “because she had an amazing voice.” At a young age, Winehouse received her first guitar and started writing music. This was the key that opened the door to her career in music. She was first signed to Simon Fuller 's 19 Management in 2002. A year later, her debut album, Frank , was released, and was a big hit in the United Kingdom. Not many years after, Winehouse released two other albums, entitled Back To Black and Back To Black: B-Sides . Both albums had equal success and were nominated for several awards, including six Grammy nominations and winning Best British Female Artist in the BRIT Awards. “I think she died too young and had so much more to contribute to the music industry,” freshman Zoe Vasquez said. In 2005, Winehouse went through a span of heavy drinking and drug abuse. As this went on, she was hospitalized for several cases of overdosing on heroin, cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and alcohol. In 2008, Winehouse was treated for an early stage of emphysema, a disease in the lungs that causes shortened breathing and an irregular heartbeat. Given this behavior, senior Kaitlyn Law said, “It was no surprise to hear about her passing.” From 2005 to 2009, she was charged for numerous accounts of violence, including attacking her then-husband and slapping a fan in the face. She admitted to the charges, but that didn’t stop her from continuing this brutal act. Although these accusations did affect her, they didn’t affect her career. In 2008, she won awards like Best Solo Artist. Winehouse even won a poll by Sky News, stating that she was the ‘Ultimate Heroine.’ “I wasn’t really a fan of her, but I thought [her death] was upsetting,” said freshman Ashley Litz. In the middle of the night on July 23, 2011, Mitch Winehouse, her father, came home to find his daughter sleeping and unresponsive. Mitch immediately called for an ambulance. At 3:54 p.m., Winehouse was announced dead at the scene. “It’s shocking to hear about another young celebrity passing on,” said Lexie Law, an 8th grader at Kyrene Middle School. Senior Victor Lopez added, “She had some talent, but she could have been better.” |