Edd’s MANtra: Amy Winehouse Found Dead

The last thing I wanted to hear today was this. From bbc.co.uk:

Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, has been found dead at her north London home.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained.


London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died.


The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career. She pulled out of a comeback tour last month.

Amy’s troubles have been well documented, including by me on this very blog. But instead of filling this space with “I told you so” nonsense and bad “Rehab” jokes like others are doing, I mourn for what could have been.


I’ll never forget reading a Mary J. Blige interview about five years ago. In it, she predicted that Amy’s live instruments and vintage voice would rejuvenate the struggling R&B industry. Mary was confident that Amy would set a new standard – and so was I.


So yeah, while it’s sad that my last memory of her is watching her fall all over herself in that Belgrade performance last month, my heart truly weeps for the potential that was wasted. Amy will likely become an even bigger star now that she’s gone (like 2Pac, Biggie, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) but I wish she could have reshaped the musical landscape while she was here among us.