Amy Winehouse's meteoric rise to fame - and very public decline

By Nick Eardley

AMY Winehouse first came to public attention in 2003 with her debut album Frank, launching the career of one of her generation's most talented musicians with a Motown-era voice that boasted widespread appeal.

Born to a jazz-loving father Mitch and having attended theatre school - from which she was expelled - Winehouse had talent in abundance. Frank won her a Mercury Music Prize nomination at the age of 19; Stronger Than Me won an Ivor Novello award; the
album went triple platinum.

The follow-up record, Back to Black, won the London singer tbest British female at the Brit Awards in 2007 and artist of the year at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The album was the biggest selling in the UK in 2007, selling more than one million copies. It entered the charts at No. 7 in America - the highest ever position held by a British female artist.

But her private life had come to dominate public attention; a very public decline would see videos of alleged drug taking, public spats and shambolic performances dominate the rest of her career.

Winehouse married Blake Fielder-Civil the year after her second album hit the shelves and her life went into freefall. Winehouse's mother, Janis, claimed it was he who introduced the singer to hard drugs - others have said she hated cocaine and only dabbled in cannabis before they met.

In 2007, she cancelled her T in the Park appearance at short notice on doctor's orders and was seen apparently lashing out at a fan during her headline performance at Glastonbury. There were gigs where she slurred or completely forgot her lyrics and in August of that year, Winehouse was admitted to hospital after overdosing on a cocktail of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine. She checked into rehab, but stayed only a few days. That year her father is said to have written her obituary, seemingly aware that she may not have long to live. Winehouse and her husband were seen arguing on the streets of Soho covered in blood. They were compared to Sid Vicious - the Sex Pistols bassist who died from an overdose - and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen on numerous occasions.

There had been hope that Winehouse had turned things around. She divorced Fielder-Civil in 2009 and friends thought she had conquered her drug addiction. She was said to be writing a new album and had recorded a duet with Tony Bennet for his album to be released in September. It will mark her first notable release since recording The Zutons song Valerie in 2007.

During what proved to be her last performance in Serbia earlier this year, Winehouse was seen struggling to sing, an image that defined her career .

Tragically, one of the most talented artists of the past decade will be remembered as much for her eventual breakdown as her meteoric rise.


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