The shocking news of Amy Winehouse's death made international headlines this weekend,bringing much sorrow to friends,family and fans alike.
The talented yet troubled singer was found deceased in her London apartment and as of this writing,the cause is yet to be determined. However,it will be of no surprise to anyone if drugs and alcohol are officially found to be the source of her demise.
It'll also be ironic,given that her best known song is "Rehab" where she playfully resists getting help for her addiction problems. Many people were jokingly speculating about her life expectancy for some time now,particularly after her live performances of late made it painfully obvious just how far down the rabbit hole Amy was. Now,some of those punchlines have an extra sour taste to them:
At the moment,folks are saying that Amy is now a member of the 27 club-a sad list of musical entertainers who died at age 27 from their battles with chemical dependency. Jimi Hendrix,Jim Morrison,Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain-legends in their lifetime who burned out both ends of their candles.
To me,it doesn't matter at what age a celebrity is upon their death but it is extremely sad when they leave this life before reaching their true potential as a person and an artist.
Don't get me wrong,I find it to be a great loss when anyone has a swift and sudden ending to his/her time on earth but it's especially tragic when that someone was blessed with amazing talent that they were meant to share with others:
This is far from my first celebrity death but it feels just as awful as the one that did touch my heart first;John Belushi back in 1982. I still have a copy of the People magazine issue that eulogized him.
Comedians and musicians tend to share some of the same personal demons there and many of the same things that were said about Belushi's departure are being said about Amy as well.
The whole "it was only a matter of time...I tried to talk to him/her about the drinking but he/she wouldn't listen..." bit is a now familiar tune sung about many others,including devoted Belushi disciple Chris Farley. I know the old saying about not getting a horse to drink the water even if you lead one kicking and screaming to the rehab but sometimes,it seems like it would really be worth the effort.
The fear of being shut out of that person's world does hold a few back from shining a harsh spotlight on the truth of the situation and while I'm not blaming anyone for Amy's death(or any other celeb mentioned here),I wish that a strong armed intervention had taken place at some point. Of course,that point is moot for now and will no doubt be bandied about in future memoirs and badly done biopics:
Right now,the best thing that we can do for Amy is to send our condolences to her family and close friends who will feel the pain of her loss more keenly than the rest of us.
Hopefully,the musical gifts that she left behind will do much to sooth her loved ones and leave a legacy that cautions as well as inspires those wanting to walk in her footsteps. We may only be able to say goodbye in words but you have to make the best of what you have on hand,folks. Amy,so sorry to see you go, truly very sorry indeed:
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