Amy Winehouse was one of the most promising singers whose future was cut short after her tragic death in 2011. Despite the passage of time, her work and legacy remain relevant, and the same goes for her controversies.
One of these has to do with what the relationship with their parents was like, which we will see below.
Amy Winehouse’s childhood
In “Amy,” the British documentary directed by Asif Kapadia, we can see key moments that marked the composer’s life and one of these was her childhood.
It is known that her parents, Mitchell Winehouse, from Stoke Newington, London, and Janis Seaton, from New York, USA, divorced when Amy was between 8 and 9 years old. However, the relationship between the two had not been good for some time.
Mitchell himself confesses that when Amy was 1 1/2 years old, he began having an extramarital affair with a co-worker. He wanted to leave his wife even then.
What happened to Amy Winehouse’s dad?
Mitchel Winehouse was an important figure in the Back to Black singer ‘s life. In Susana Monteagudo’s biography ‘Amy Winehouse: Stronger than her’, Mitchell is portrayed as someone who did not do enough to care for his daughter.
One of the most resonant episodes dates back to late 2005 and is remembered as Amy’s “great opportunity” to rehabilitate from her addictions.
The singer agreed to check into a rehabilitation centre, although she said she would only do so if her father gave the OK. Mitchell then said that Amy did not need help and that her condition was not as bad as everyone said.
Following her daughter’s death, Mitchell said: “We did everything we could to help Amy, but you can’t force someone to get treatment. And I felt it was Amy’s responsibility to get better.”
Amy Winehouse’s father is currently the administrator of the singer’s estate and runs a foundation in his daughter’s name.
What happened to Amy Winehouse’s mother?
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than 10 years ago, Janis wants to recover Amy’s legacy before the disease erases her memory.
Her second husband tells in the documentary: “ Janis’ memories are not the same, she is not as eloquent and she fears losing her memory and with it her daughter. She will not have another opportunity like this to say what she wants to say about her daughter.”
Janis says her illness prevented her from helping her daughter as she would have liked. “As Amy’s health worsened, my multiple sclerosis progressed. I was aware of my physical limitations, of what I couldn’t do for her. The most horrible thing was that I could only watch. Watching my daughter disappear and die, without being able to do anything,” says her mother.
