The 27-year-old star, who had fought a long and well-publicised battle with drink and drug addiction, was pronounced dead after police were called to her £2.5 million three-storey home in North London.
Her untimely death follows a long list of musicians who have all died at the age of 27, known as the 27 Club. They include rock legends Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Rolling Stone Brian Jones.
Inconsolable: Amy Winehouse, who died yesterday, was said to be distraught about her split from film director Reg Traviss
Amy was said to be devastated and ‘inconsolable’ after being dumped by her on-off boyfriend Reg Traviss, 34, just before she checked herself into The Priory rehabilitation clinic last month.
Distraught: Traviss seen outside the late singer's house yesterday
Traviss, who had previously turned down a marriage proposal from the star, was desperate to help Amy turn her life around, say friends, but when he realised she could not beat her demons he ended the relationship.
Last night Amy’s father Mitch - who had predicted she would die if she failed to quit drink and drugs - said he was devastated but has vowed ‘not to crack up for Amy’s sake’.
The cabbie-turned-singer was on a jazz tour in New York when he heard the news. He said: ‘I’m coming home. I have to be with Amy. I can’t crack up for her sake. My family need me.’
Amy had recently completed her third album but the release date was delayed by Island Records when she went into rehab.
She bought her five-bedroom Camden home in 2009 but only moved in this May after spending £200,000 installing a recording studio and gym.
As the investigation to establish the cause of her death began, three people were seen outside the house, which is in one of London’s most expensive streets. They were Mr Traviss, her bodyguard – known only as Neville – and former Big Brother contestant Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, 32, a long time friend of the singer, who looked distraught.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘Inquiries continue into the circumstances of the death, which at this stage is being treated as unexplained. We do have people we’re speaking to but nobody has been arrested.’
A source said: ‘A number of people were helping police with their inquiries but we are still trying to establish who was with her when she died. It’s fair to say these people are central to police enquiries in piecing together what happened before she died.’
Another police source said that the death was being treated as ‘drink and drugs-related’. A post-mortem is expected to be carried out tomorrow.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a press conference yesterday evening that no cause of death had yet been confirmed.
Broken: Winehouse's close friend Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was seen struggling to control her emotions as she learned of the singer's passing
Upset: The former Big Brother contestant kneels on the floor as she cries over the loss of her friend
He said: 'I am aware of reports of a suspected drugs overdose, but I would like to re-emphasise that no post-mortem has yet taken place and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of death.
Outpouring of grief on Twitter over star's sudden death
'The death of any person is a sad time of friends and family especially for someone known nationally and internationally like Amy Winehouse. My sympathy extends not only to her family but also to her millions of fans across the world.'
A statement from Winehouse's U.S. record label read: 'We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer.
'Our prayers go out to Amy's family, friends and fans at this difficult time.'
And a spokesman for the late singer said: 'Everyone involved with Amy is shocked and devastated. Our thoughts are with her family and friends. The family will issue a statement when ready.'
The scene: Amy was pronounced dead yesterday afternoon after emergency services arrived at her house in north London
Tragic: Winehouse's body is seen being removed from her home
Drama: Members of the press and local residents watch as Winehouse's body is taken to the van
WITHIN MINUTES 20M WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER ON TWITTER ABOUT THE SINGER'S SUDDEN DEATH
Before it was announced on mainstream media the micro-blogging site was responding to the death of the singer and ‘Amy Winehouse’ quickly became one of Twitter’s 'trending' topics.
Trending refers to whichever names or terms are the most talked about at that particular moment. These are defined by the site as ‘most breaking’ topics.
Unlike topics which are discussed for a length of time, such as the phone hacking scandal, trending topics see huge numbers of Twitter users debating subjects as they happen.
Shortly after the confirmation of her death, Winehouse was mentioned in nearly 10 per cent of all tweets worldwide. As there are 200million users this equates to 20million people communicating with one another about her death.
A section of the road where the singer lived remained cordoned off last night. Journalists, local residents and fans gathered at the police tapes, while forensic officers were seen going in and out of the building.
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she saw the grief-stricken Traviss, on the ground outside the house.
Amy became a household name in 2006 after the multi-million sales of her five-time Grammy Award-winning album Back To Black, which chronicled her troubled love affair with her former husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
The pair married in Miami in May 2007 but divorced two years later after they both battled drink and drug addictions.
It is also alleged former music video producer Fielder-Civil was the one who introduced the Back to Black star to heroin and crack cocaine.
Amy's father Mitch previously spoke out about how his daughter stayed away from drugs prior to meeting her ex-husband.
In an interview last year he said: 'He's not entirely responsible, she's got to take a portion of the responsibility, but it's clear, it really kicked off when they got together.'
Despite her personal problems the star amassed a £10 million fortune and her album, with hits including Rehab, also helped her find success in America. But she struggled to deal with her success.
On Thursday, she made a surprise return to performing at the Roundhouse in Camden, North London, supporting her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield in an iTunes Festival concert. But fan Simon Grabiner, 19, said she came on stage and ‘stumbled around’ as if she was drunk or under the influence of drugs.
Mr Grabiner, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, said: ‘Everyone cheered as they saw her come on, and everyone thought she was going to perform. But she just walked around the stage as if she was drunk or something.
AUK
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