Amy Winehouse: Momma said there would be days like this

Amy Jade Winehouse, the British singer-songwriter known for her powerful contralto and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. vocals, was found dead in her Camden townhouse Saturday. Whinehouse was only 27.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. 

Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British singer to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. 

She won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other prestigious distinctions. The album was the third biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom.

Winehouse was credited as an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music, and also for revitalising British music. 

Winehouse's distinctive style made her a muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. Winehouse's problems with drug and alcohol abuse, and her self-destructive behaviours were regular tabloid news from 2007 until her death. 

She and her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were plagued by legal troubles that left him serving prison time. In 2008, Winehouse faced a series of health complications that threatened both her career and her life.

Last month the much maligned songstress stumbled onto the stage and managed a hat-full of songs during which she sang the wrong words and, to infuriate fans even more, mistook Belgrade for New York and Athens.

Despite her excesses it’s her talent as a singer and songwriter that still draws people in. Her actions, unfortunately, indicated an individual who hadn’t learned from previous mistakes. She may well be viewed as a tragic, soul genius in the future in much the same way as Billie Holiday is.

Photograph by Max Vadukul/Rolling Stone

The cause of death is still unknown for the Grammy Award winning artist, only 27-years-old at the time. Many are suspecting that her death may possibly be the result of her long-term battle with substance abuse. She also admitted to struggling with eating disorders and manic depression.

Winehouse's last tweet on her Twitter page was a promotion of Dionne Bromfield's Good for the Soul: "Make sure you all download your copy of #GoodForTheSoul the incredible album by the amazing @dionneofficial http://t.co/E2Ibn7w OUT NOW!," she tweeted on July 7.

Bromfield, 15, is Winehouse's goddaughter. Her previous debut album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, was the first to be released under Winehouse's record label Lioness Records in 2009. The latest album was released this month.

Note: The content of this blog is based on stories in the Christian Post by Nathan Black and Eyrn Sun, Celebrities with Diseases.com, and Wikipedia.