What Led to Amy Winehouse's Untimely Death at 27?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the circumstances surrounding the death of singer Amy Winehouse at the age of 27, touching on themes of addiction, the impact of fame, and the broader implications of youth and mortality. Participants reflect on her life, the nature of addiction, and draw parallels to other notable figures who died young.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants speculate that Winehouse's death is likely related to her struggles with drugs and alcohol, citing her history of addiction.
  • Others express sadness over her untimely death, noting the pattern of young artists dying at the same age, such as Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain.
  • A few participants challenge generalizations about addiction, arguing that it is a complex issue not easily overcome, regardless of intelligence or effort.
  • Some express a sense of loss and regret for not having appreciated Winehouse's talent until after her death.
  • There are discussions about the societal pressures faced by young people today and how these may contribute to shorter lifespans.
  • Participants share personal experiences with addiction and recovery, highlighting the difficulties involved in overcoming such challenges.
  • There is mention of the limitations of traditional recovery programs, with some suggesting alternative approaches to addiction treatment.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion reflects a mix of agreement on the tragic nature of Winehouse's death and disagreement regarding the implications of her struggles with addiction. Multiple competing views remain on the nature of addiction and its relationship to personal choices and societal factors.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of personal experience with addiction, which influences their perspectives. There is a recognition of the complexity of addiction and the challenges of recovery, but no consensus on the broader implications for youth culture or the effectiveness of treatment options.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals exploring the intersections of fame, addiction, and youth culture, as well as those reflecting on the societal impacts of celebrity deaths.

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Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her flat in north London, police said. She was 27 years old. The soul singer struggled with drink and drug addictions. Her death is being treated as unexplained.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/392228/singer-amy-winehouse-found-dead/

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it's drugs and alcohol. Only 27, what a wasted life.
 
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It's quite unfortunate.
 
Too bad. 27 is always too young to go :frown:
 
micromass said:
Too bad. 27 is always too young to go :frown:

Jimi Hendrix died at 27 as well, as did Janis Joplin. Very odd to say the least. Bruce Lee was 33 when he passed away.

Rhody...
 
And Kurt Cobain, and Jim Morrison...
 
What a sad way for me to become aware of someone's existence.
 
Jimmy Snyder said:
What a sad way for me to become aware of someone's existence.
Indeed, my first reaction was "Who is Amy Winehouse?"
 
More pity to starving children.
 
 
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  • #10
TheStatutoryApe said:


I'm jumping to conclusions here but...I think in this case, rehab didn't 'take', unfortunately.
 
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  • #11
It is so hard to be young in today's world. I think technology is a main reason. Young people are going to have very short lives when they should live longer because of medical advances. But life is going to get shorter and shorter. Amy died in her apartment. Most young people will die on the streets of busy cities from stopping with no warning in the middle of the sidewalk to text someone.
 
  • #12
Lacy33 said:
Young people are going to have very short lives when they should live longer because of medical advances. But life is going to get shorter and shorter. Amy died in her apartment.



Don't generalise that to every young person. Amy Winehouse was really stupid not to get proper medical help (rehab etc) or make a proper effort to stop using drugs.
She made really bad choices, and she ruined her body with drugs/alcohol. She had a seizure back in 2008 and had been warned by doctors to stay off alcohol/drugs but she choice not to. Her dad made so many attempts to get her to stop her addiction but she didn't listen to him.

Anyway people who do drugs are stupid anyway, it's more dangerous than smoking tobacco.
 
  • #13
lolfroza, It's OK, You don't know me. I say dumb things. But for what she could have been it breaks my heart. She could have been a good girl a sweet and pure girl. That is why I say it is a hard world. Some things can be generalized. And I choose to generalize here. It's OK. Really. :smile:
 
  • #14
Am I the only one that doesn't really care that much?
 
  • #15
lolfroza said:
Don't generalise that to every young person.

With due respect, it appears to me that you are the one who is generalizing. Addiction is not something that just any old who can deal with effectively, and intelligence has nothing to do with it.
I'm what I consider a "middle of the road" genius. I'm smarter than 99% of the general population, and dumber than 99% of the PF population. I just quit smoking after 40 years, but only because machines were breathing for me for 3 weeks straight. Right now I'm working on giving up alcohol, because my liver caught a bus to Halifax a while back. It's not going well, but I'm going to do it.
Believe me... if you had ever suffered an addiction, you would not so cavalierly dismiss the intellect of someone who might not be successful in combating one. It ain't easy.
 
  • #16
True that. I've lived self destructively for 10+ years, battled addiction, depression, anxiety, reached some really, really low lows, and asked myself the terrible question a lot more than once. I have a little more direction the last year or so, but it's still a battle, each and everyday. If it weren't for my overwhelming feelings of obligation towards my family, and my unfortunate experience with the suicide of my dear friend (at 27 no less), I might not be here today.

My most heartfelt sympathy to all who are touched by this, it's just a damn shame, and I don't think there's much more that you can say in these situations. To Amy - I hope you find your peace, Lord knows it isn't easy to find in this world.
 
  • #17
Adyssa said:
and asked myself the terrible question a lot more than once.

With the exception of a few very astute people such as Astronuc, I suspect that only those of us who have been there know what that sentence means. That was a scary place. I'm glad that you emerged from the proper side of it.
 
  • #18
Danger said:
With due respect, it appears to me that you are the one who is generalizing. Addiction is not something that just any old who can deal with effectively, and intelligence has nothing to do with it.
I'm what I consider a "middle of the road" genius. I'm smarter than 99% of the general population, and dumber than 99% of the PF population. I just quit smoking after 40 years, but only because machines were breathing for me for 3 weeks straight. Right now I'm working on giving up alcohol, because my liver caught a bus to Halifax a while back. It's not going well, but I'm going to do it.
Believe me... if you had ever suffered an addiction, you would not so cavalierly dismiss the intellect of someone who might not be successful in combating one. It ain't easy.

It is too bad that AA has such a religious bent. If only they had an Ornery Old Bastards Anonymous. :-p

I have heard of some pharmacological treatments. Are these an option?
 
  • #19
TheStatutoryApe said:
It is too bad that AA has such a religious bent. If only they had an Ornery Old Bastards Anonymous. :-p

Yeah... **** on a stick or what? 9 or 10 of their 12 steps revolve around being a Jesus freak. That ain't going to happen. I love your idea. If you're willing to fire up a head office, I'll open a Canadian branch.
As for the meds... endless possibilities. Right now, though, I have to log off and bag some ZZZ's. I'll get back to you tomorrow about that subject.
 
  • #20
Danger said:
Yeah... **** on a stick or what? 9 or 10 of their 12 steps revolve around being a Jesus freak. That ain't going to happen. I love your idea. If you're willing to fire up a head office, I'll open a Canadian branch.
As for the meds... endless possibilities. Right now, though, I have to log off and bag some ZZZ's. I'll get back to you tomorrow about that subject.

While you ZZZ, you should dream of AAA.

(Atheist AA, of course!)
 
  • #22
Henry Moseley, the physicist that explained atomic numbers, died at 27, also. Although, not from an addiction.
 
  • #23
I don't know if there are many jazz fans out there, but this performance of "'Round Midnight" deserves respect IMO. It's a notoriously difficult song to sing, but Amy does it as well as anyone I've heard.

I must admit, I didn't pay any attention to her until recently; just another wacky pop artist trying to make up for a lack of talent by being outrageous. Then I heard her and had to admit she wasn't the run-of-the-mill pop star. She drew heavily on the long tradition of blues-soul-R&B, music that I personally like. I still didn't pay a lot of attention to her until I heard she died. I thought I'd check out her work on you tube to see if I'd been missing something. I decided I had. Too bad there won't be any more.

 
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  • #24
Stats, I'm back, but I don't think that I can get into any sort of detail about the meds in public. There is too much chance of someone trying to self-medicate based upon what I say. I'll PM you with my e-mail address (because my PM box is pretty much full). Once you contact me that way, I will be glad to explain my history to you. I have no qualms about you knowing my true identity, because you've always been very much someone that I would be friends with in person. Also, I'm not the least bit ashamed of having been in "that place". It's just that I can't take the chance of badly influencing someone. I wouldn't have thought such a thing possible, except that I once detailed to a younger second cousin the modifications that I had made to my Roadrunner, and he made the mistake of trying to duplicate them upon his grandfather's (my uncle's) Buick. It didn't work, and my aunt and uncle had to buy a new car. That was bad enough, but having to obtain a new son or daughter is an entirely new chapter. I prefer to keep it between you and I. (Or anyone else who wants to discuss it privately. Come to think of it, I still owe Zoobie a discourse upon this subject from a few years back...)
 
  • #25
Hey Danger. I was just curious since I had heard about it. Always interested to see how you are doing though so feel free to contact me.
 
  • #26
This hip-hop style (I think that's what it is) "Beat the Point to Death" stands in contrast to her rendition of the modern jazz classic" "'Round Midnight". I think this says something about the breadth of her musical style. Some comments on "'Round Midnight" compare her in a negative way to Ella Fitzgerald. Well, Ella just happens to be considered by many as the greatest jazz singer ever. Amy was not a jazz singer and she was not a hip-hop singer. She had her own genre and that's why I think she will be remembered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNnnR9TIWg&feature=related
 
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  • #27
I thought I'd post this little gem. In a way it seems to express the essence of this talented and tormented young woman. It was released as a single in 2009, but apparently recorded in 2001 when Amy was just 17. If so, this song indicates her troubles started early. It's title "Long Day" is the same as a song released by Matchbox20 in 2001. That song was about 9/11. This song is about a young woman aged beyond her years.

The lyrics are sometimes a bit hard to understand (at least for me), but appear beside the video display. I'm personally moved by this song.

http://letras.terra.com.br/amy-winehouse/1518501/
 
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