Remembering Amy Winehouse

Image taken from nydailynews.com

I’m sure you’ve all heard the sad news by now -- talented singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London home on Saturday at around 4 pm. The cause of her death is being treated as unidentified and an autopsy is scheduled for either today or tomorrow.

Most people, including the singer’s fans, saw this coming. She has been battling drug and alcohol addiction for as long as anyone can remember. Her talented voice was put on the backburner and her addiction became what she was known for.

British tabloid, The Sunday Mirror, has quoted the late singer’s mother, Janis Winehouse, as stating that she believed her daughter’s death was "only a matter of time".

She told The Sunday Mirror that she saw her daughter 24 hours before she passed and,"She seemed out of it. But her passing so suddenly still hasn't hit me," said Janis.

On Sunday, her family issued an official statement to Us Weekly:

"Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives"

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I feel about the commentary surrounding substance abuse and her death. Cruel comments and jokes about how people ‘are not surprised it took this long’ or ‘that’s what you get when you say no to rehab’ have me wondering why people feel the need to be so mean?

I read a letter titled ‘Dear Amy’ by Russell Brand and was pleased with how he handled the matter. It truly is a good forum for enlightening the ignorant.

“When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.”

Regardless of your personal opinions surrounding her untimely death, the late singer has family and fans that are hurting right now. I think that warrants some sensitivity and respect. With cases of substance abuse, it is often the family and friends who hurt just as much (sometimes even more) that the individual that is suffering from the disease. The cruel commentary should be spared for their sake. Choose kindness instead and if that is not possible, settle for indifference. 

The second point I whole-heartedly agree with is that substance abuse is not a weakness, it is a disease. One that consumes the individual and ruins every single aspect of their life. I don't find anything about that is funny, I find it very sad. Her talent was forgotten and the disease is what she was known for.

“Publicly though, Amy increasingly became defined by her addiction. Our media though is more interested in tragedy than talent, so the ink began to defect from praising her gift to chronicling her downfall,” writes Brand.

I’m taking what Russel Brand has to say very seriously (for once) because as you likely know he is a recovering addict. He beat the disease and so, knows the trials and tribulations that come with the territory. He also knew Amy Winehouse on a personal level, before the two became famous.  

The final lines of the letter to the late singer are devoted to making recommendations on how we treat individuals who suffer from this disease:

“All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalization doesn’t even make economic sense.”

I hope her troubled soul has found peace and that her family receives the love and respect they are entitled to during this difficult time.

To read Russell Brand’s letter in its entirety, check out Russell Brand TV