My thoughts on Amy.

We all knew she led a troubled life. We all knew she was speeding to oblivion. However, we were still all shocked to hear the news that Amy Winehouse, the 27 year old soul singer with an amazing voice and a fucked up life, had passed away at her North London home. When I heard, I thought it was a sick joke, a hoax. First, I noticed the news trickling into a couple of tweets. Then I turned on the news and there it was - confirmed. Yet another talented life taken way before her time.

 Say what you like about her lifestyle, say her death isn't as tragic as others, but bear this in mind - she was still a daughter. A sister. A friend. People have still lost a massive part of their lives and hearing this bile being spouted about her is not helping. An addiction is an illness. It is not, as many people have said, a choice. Yes, the initial action is a choice. But the following addiction, the craving, the feeling that you would do anything to have that fix is not. The act of going to rehab was proof she wanted to escape that life, stop the never-ending circle of addiction. Some people, I know, will disagree with that. But that's fine. Disagree with this all you want. But I truly believe that she was trying to escape that vicious cycle.

It's sad to think that her last performance was that shambolic, drunken mess in Belgrade, it's heart-breaking to think that that's how she will be remembered and not as the amazing performer she once was. Frank was an brilliant début album - Back to Black was even better. Her voice, that soul-laden, beautiful voice, sounded full of pain, full of longing. But this album was truly her downfall. This album sky-rocketed her to stardom and farther into the dark world of drugs, addiction and the people feeding both of them. Most people will say that her downfall was brought around by her on-off relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, whom Amy married in 2007, a year after the album's release and who was, by all accounts, a waster and someone who fed off Amy's vulnerability and fame. She had been quoted as saying that their whole marriage was "based on drugs" and more people that have spoken out after her death have been saying that before Blake she was fine - after him, she was fucked.

But let's forget that. Put on Back to Black as loud as you can without disturbing the neighbours. And just listen. And remember what an amazing performer she was. Remember her as that and not the pictures of the body-bag being shamelessly flaunted on the Daily Mail website.

RIP Amy Winehouse - 14th September 1983-23rd July 2011.

"He left no time to regret 

Kept his dick wet 

With his same old safe bet 

Me and my head high 

And my tears dry 

Get on without my guy 

You went back to what you knew 

So far removed from all that we went through 

And I tread a troubled track 

My odds are stacked 

I'll go back to black 

We only said good-bye with words 

I died a hundred times 

You go back to her 

And I go back to..... 

I go back to us 

I love you much 

It's not enough 

You love blow and I love puff 

And life is like a pipe 

And I'm a tiny penny rolling up the walls inside 

We only said goodbye with words 

I died a hundred times 

You go back to her 

And I go back to 

Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, 

I go back to 

I go back to 

We only said good-bye with words 

I died a hundred times 

You go back to her 

And I go back to 

We only said good-bye with words 

I died a hundred times 

You go back to her 

And I go back to black"