Sorry to bring this up again—I know you’re probably over it—but Mitch Winehouse and his family hopefully have some closure. Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning, toxicologists have confirmed.
To recap: Mitch Winehouse, her father, claimed that Amy had most likely died from alcohol withdrawal. He added that she had kicked the hard stuff—she had been clean for at least a year—but despite a preparatory stint in rehab and a period of sustained sobriety, her Belgrade performance was visibly hampered by her own drunkenness. Humiliated, Winehouse canceled the rest of her European tour and reportedly went into seclusion. Following Winehouse’s sudden death at 27, a coroner found no illegal drugs in her system.
CNN:
A family statement, given by spokesman Chris Goodman, said: “It is some relief we finally found out what happened to Amy.
“We understand there was alcohol in her system when she passed away. It is likely a buildup of alcohol in her system over a number of days.
“The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain that she could not win in time. She had started drinking again that week after a period of abstinence,” Goodman said.
The Huffington Post has more:
Coroner Suzanne Greenaway gave a verdict of “death by misadventure,” saying the singer died of accidental alcohol poisoning. “The unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels (of alcohol) was her sudden and unexpected death,” Greenaway said.
Police Detective Inspector Les Newman, who was called after a security guard found Winehouse, said empty vodka bottles were scattered around her bedroom.
Winehouse’s doctor, Dr. Christina Romete, said the singer had resumed drinking in the days before her death after a period of abstinence.
Romete said Winehouse had been prescribed drugs including the sedative Librium to help her cope with the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, but the coroner said these had played no role in her death.
Additionally, pathologist Suhail Baithun determined that Winehouse’s blood alcohol content was 4.5 times the legal driving limit. (Her BAC was 0.40%; 0.45% is recognized as potentially lethal.) Other reports speculate that she had downed three bottles of vodka.
The whole thing is frightening and terribly sad. I only hope Amy and her family have peace.
Image via CNN.
Is it me, or does “death by misadventure” sound a little too lighthearted when referring to accidental overdose? I mean, it sounds as if she died wrestling alligators in an event to find the lost treasure in Pirates Cove or something…
Yeah. Apparently the legal definition is “accidental death not due to crime or negligence,” but it’s hard to hear the word ‘misadventure’ without also hearing Yakety Sax.