Amy Winehouse Joins the Ill-Fated 27 Club and Leaves Music Fans an Unexpected Gift

Singer Amy Winehouse

This past weekend has been a somber one, what with the terror attacks in Norway, and the death of famed British music star Amy Winehouse.

Winehouse’s unexpected, yet not completely surprising passing gained her entrance into an elite and rather ill-fated “club” of musicians known as the “27 Club.” Members of the 27 Club include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain – all of whom passed away (read: self-destructed?) in their 27^th year.

Winehouse, known for her larger-than-life beehive hairdo and exaggerated cat eye makeup suffered from a very public struggle with drugs and alcohol, one that had been ongoing for many years. However, fans suggest that in recent months her addiction may have been getting worse. She was booed off the stage in Belgrade after arriving late to the show, and failed to remember her own lyrics once she finally got to the microphone. She immediately canceled her next two shows in Istanbul and Athens, and then just over a month later was found dead in her apartment, presumably due to a drug overdose.

While Winehouse’s death is both a tragedy, and a jarring reminder of the darkness of drug addiction, her passing has also helped to bring new life to the music industry. Just two days before her death Winehouse attended the iTunes Festival in London, and made a cameo appearance to draw attention to her so-called goddaughter, 15-year-old soul singer Dionne Bromfield. Winehouse’s passing just days later spawned a media flurry around the performance, and helped center the spotlight on Dionne – a spectacularly talented teenager well-deserving of the newfound attention.

As Bromfield’s career progresses it becomes clear that Winehouse’s cameo at the iTunes Festival was no mistake – it was her last gift to fans. A new voice, a new day, a new star.

-Hanna Perlmutter

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