Amy Winehouse is dead at 27.

Amy Winehouse has sadly joined Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, and Robert Johnson in "the 27 Club."

Her Wikipedia page has been rewritten in the past tense. It begins:

Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer-songwriter, known for her powerful contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, and jazz. She received extensive publicity over her substance abuse and mental health issues.

Rolling Stone writes:

The Daily Mirror states that the 27 year-old singer was found dead in her Camden Square apartment at 4:05 p.m. GMT. There's no word on the exact cause of death, but Winehouse had been struggling with drug addiction for many years.

That Daily Mirror article reports:

Jann Meyer, 33, who lives nearby, said he saw Winehouse around quite often.

"It's not really a shock, it was to be expected sooner or later. She was 27, and all good rock stars go at 27. She was very talented, she was amazing."

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she saw the singer's grief-stricken boyfriend on the ground outside the house.

More from the Rolling Stone article:

Winehouse cancelled a European tour last month after a disastrous shows show in Serbia, during which Winehouse repeatedly forgot her words and was booed by the 20,000 fans in attendance. "Amy Winehouse is withdrawing from all scheduled performances," spokesman Chris Goodman said. "Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen." . . .

Rolling Stone writer Claire Hoffman visited Winehouse at her London flat in the summer of 2008. She found the singer living in disarray, with cuts and scratches up and down her arm and garbage strewn all over the house. "To be honest, my husband's away," she said. "I'm bored, I'm young. I felt like there was nothing to live for. It's just been a low ebb."

When I compiled the top 100 songs of 2000-2009, I ranked "You Know I'm No Good" #80 of the decade, and I added:

Surely an autobiographical song. Let's hope she straightens her life out.

Her swan song was a cover of "It's My Party":



So many fans are posting to her Facebook page right now that you have to click several times on "More Posts" to get through each minute of comments.


(Photo by Ivo Garcev.)