Talk:Amy Winehouse/Personal life and controversy

Personal life

On 18 May 2007, Winehouse married on-off boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami, Florida.

Substance abuse and mental health issues

Winehouse's battles with substance abuse and erratic behavoir has been the subject of much media attention. In various interviews, has admitted to having problems with self-harm, depression and eating disorders. In August 2007, Winehouse cancelled a number of shows in the UK and Europe, citing exhaustion and ill health. One early morning in August 2007, the singer and her husband were photographed bloodied and bruised in the streets of London after a hotel room fight allegedly started when, according to the singer as quoted by a tabloid newspaper, she was spotted by her husband doing drugs with a call girl. Soon, Winehouse's parents and in-laws publicly reported their numerous concerns, including that the two may commit suicide, and encouraged fans to boycott her music. Later, on 2 December, images of the singer outside her home, in the early morning hours, barefoot and wearing only a bra and jeans appeared on the internet and in some tabloid newspapers. In a statement, her spokesperson blamed paparazzi harassment for the incident and said: "The constant bombardment by certain agency photographers at her home has increased anxiety and caused disturbance." The spokesperson also reported that the singer was in a program being supervised by doctors and channeling her difficulties by writing a lot of music. On 30 December, Winehouse’s father reported that the singer was still refusing to be admitted into a rehabilitation facility but that she has started a treatment program that continued while she was away on holiday.

The British tabloid The Sun posted a video of a woman, alleged to be Winehouse, apparently smoking crack cocaine and speaking of having taken ecstasy and valium. Winehouse's father then moved in with her, and Island Records, her record label, announced their plans to abandon its American promotion campaign of her. After visiting the earlier in the week, Winehouse entered rehab on 24 January.

Legal problems

On 8 September 2007 Winehouse settled a claim for copyright infringement over the song He Can Only Hold Her, brought against her by songwriter and producer P*Nut. His lawyer said he would now receive a share of the royalties from the song and payment of costs. Previously he had received a "thank you" for his contribution but no songwriter credit on the album.

In October 2007, Winehouse and her husband were arrested in Norway for possession of cannabis. The couple were later released and fined 3850 Norwegian kroner (around £350). The Bergen, Norway police chief confirmed Winehouse had been summoned to appear in court there stating, "If one appeals a conviction, it's the rule that one has to appear in person." The singer claims she was "duped" into confessing, but police say that fluent English speakers handled Winehouse when she signed the confession.

On 9 November 2007, Winehouse's husband and four other men were arrested on a charge of trying to pervert the course of justice in relation to an assault on a bartender in June 2007; he allegedly offered to pay the victim £200,000 to withdraw his complaint. He was denied bail and remains in custody, pending investigation. As Fielder-Civil is not known to have any income independent of his wife, Winehouse also came under investigation for any role she might have had. On December 18, Winehouse voluntarily submitted to arrest, and was released on bail without charges being filed. The singer was ordered to return to a Metropolitan Police station in early March. Police have visited the singer’s accountants, confiscated her mobile phone records, bank details and computer software.

The new year 2008 brought more legal troubles. On 23 January 2008, the aforementioned 19-minute drug video was passed on to Scotland Yard, Metropolitan Police, who confirmed its officers were investigating. She was questioned by police about the video on 5 February. After being denied a U.S. visa for the “use and abuse of narcotics", the singer was finally granted one. The decision came too late for her to appear live at the 2008 Grammy Awards show, and she performed via satellite. Meanwhile, on 17 February, 2008, Fielder-Civil reportedly was hospitalized after collapsing in prison from what was reported to be contaminated heroin.

Other issues

Winehouse was ranked number two on Richard Blackwell's 48th annual "Ten Worst Dressed Women" list, behind Victoria Beckham.

Winehouse has joined a campaign to stop a block of flats being built beside the George Tavern, a famous London East End music venue, and has promised to play a gig there once she leaves her current rehabilitation program. Campaign supporters fear the residential development would end the spot's lucrative sideline as a film and photo location, on which it relies to survive.

Controversy

Winehouse's dichotomous public image of critical and commercial success versus personal turmoil has proven to be controversial. In late 2006, she heckled Bono (of U2) during his awards show speech. In November 2007, the opening night of a 17-date tour was marred by booing and walkouts at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. A music critic for the Birmingham Mail newspaper said it was "one of the saddest nights of my life...I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience." Other concerts ended similarly, until it she announced on November 27, 2007, that performances and public appearances were cancelled for the remainder of 2007, citing doctor advice to take a complete rest. A statement issued by concert promoter Live Nation blamed "the rigours involved in touring and the intense emotional strain that Amy has been under in recent weeks" for the decision.

The New Statesman magazine called Winehouse "a filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva," while Newsweek magazine called her "a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control." Karen Heller with The Philadelphia Inquirer summarized the maelstrom this way:

She's only 24 with six Grammy nods, crashing headfirst into success and despair, with a codependent husband in jail, exhibitionist parents with questionable judgment, and the paparazzi documenting her emotional and physical distress. Meanwhile, a haute designer (Karl Lagerfeld) appropriates her disheveled style and eating issues to market to the elite while proclaiming her the new Bardot.

By 2008, her continued drug problems threatened her very career. Even as Nick Gatfield, the president of Island Records, toyed with the idea of releasing Winehouse "to deal with her problems", he remarked on her talent, saying, "It’s a reflection of her status [in the US] that when you flick through the TV coverage [of the Grammys] it’s her image they use."

In the days before her entry into rehabilitation, The Times, in a break of its normal custom of not devoting space to the "saga of pop singers," editorialized that the government should force the singer into rehabilitation. The editorial, in part, read, "The State's actions could save a great talent. She desperately needs to be brought into rehabilitation and, this time, to stay put there for weeks if not months.

The 2008 NME Awards demonstrated mixed feelings toward Winehouse. The singer was nominated for awards in the categories of "Villain of the Year,""Worst Dressed Performer,""Best Solo Artist," and "Best Music DVD".

Post-Grammys, some questioned whether Winehouse should have been honored with the awards, given her recent personal and drug problems. Natalie Cole, who also battled her own substance-abuse problems while winning a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1975, remarked, "I think the girl is talented, gifted, but it's not right for her to be able to have her cake and eat it too. She needs to get herself together."