Winehouse's bout with alcoholism (and many other artists' struggles with drugs) tells us that one addiction naturally leads to another. And you start looking for exhilaration elsewhere. But at some point, even that doesn't feel that good anymore. You may even start performing solely for the cheers. You keep trying to top your last performance. It gives you a rush.īut the problem is that the feeling eventually goes away. Getting a hundred people to retweet you on Twitter feels good. Receiving a standing ovation in a crowded auditorium is exciting. Standing in front of an adoring audience is exhilarating. While there's nothing wrong with having a platform, the requirements of it can be costly. If you cut ethical corners to get to where you are, you'll have to continue those patterns to continue having influence. The problem with any kind of influence is that once you build it, you have to maintain it. And yet, we're blind when we face these same temptations in our own lives.Īt the age of 27, Amy Winehouse joined many others in ending life all too early, and I can't help but think that fame was one of the culprits. It hits us right where we're weakest, right where so many of us fall, where evil itself originates - our pride.Īll the while, we don't realize we're being led to the slaughter.Įvery day, we see actors and musicians rise to fame too quickly and pay the price.
It draws us in with one tempting thought: the allure of more. The opportunity to have more influence, to talk to more people, to increase your followers, is sexy.įame is a seductress. Fame is seductiveĪny influencer or communicator will tell you: Winehouse as a clarion call to those of us seeking influence to be cautious. We should see the unfortunate death of Ms. What concerns me is that our culture - our world, even - glorifies celebrities, when in actuality their lives often seem empty. Amy Winehouse (Photo courtesy of Fionn Kidney - Creative Commons) Moreover, it's a warning to would-be influencers and others seeking fame. While tragic, this event speaks to the pressures and temptations celebrities face.
HOW DID AMY WINEHOUSE DIE ANDROID
I loved the individuality that she brought, I miss her a lot and her fashion," the school worker added.ĭownload the Eyewitness News app to your iOS or Android device.Singer Amy Winehouse died today. "She did what she wanted to do - nothing fazed her, she was her own person. Grace Newham, 21, said she had come to visit the statue on the warm summer's day to "take it all in and enjoy the vibes". "When I go through rough patches, I like to listen to her music, it helps me and sums up how I'm feeling. "We should remember her for her talent, style, attitude that no-one else even dared to have. "She's remembered in the public eye as being this drug addict, that's not how we should remember her at all," 16-year-old student Reece Fielding said.
The tenth anniversary has also provoked introspection over Winehouse's memory, which had been shaped by the tabloid narrative surrounding her drinking, drug use and relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil. "I want people to remember her as the jazz girl who made it big." "I want her to be remembered as someone who represents who we are as Camden," the health technology manager explained. "It makes me realise how important it is to maintain your own integrity and inner strength. "Looking at her fall has made us realise that we're all humans and we need to treat each other with respect," Vyas said. It was characterised by her distinct jazz style, which contrasted heavily with the pop music of the time - and her destructive relationship with alcohol and drugs. The anniversary of the "Back to Black" and "Rehab" singer's passing has inspired fans to look back at her short but impactful career. "Now, after 10 years, it's my moment to pay my condolences," the Camden local told AFP. He recalled "crying my eyes out on the day she passed". Ravi Vyas, 26, was among the well-wishers who thronged Camden's cobbled streets and left pink, red and yellow roses by the feet of the statue, a life-sized depiction of the diminutive singer. The star's untimely death from alcohol poisoning after years battling addiction and an eating disorder added her name to the so-called "27 club", a group of talented but troubled artists whose lives were cut short at the same young age.
LONDON - Tourists and residents remembered British singer Amy Winehouse on Friday, paying tribute on the tenth anniversary of her death at a statue in her memory in the London borough of Camden.Ī red rose had been placed on the bronze statue in the soul singer's trademark beehive hair style to mark the anniversary of Winehouse's death at her home in the north London neighbourhood in 2011.