The friends and family of singer Amy Winehouse, who died Saturday at age 27, gathered for her funeral in London on Tuesday morning -- three days after her death, which is in keeping with Jewish tradition.
The ceremony was held at Edgewarebury Cemetery in the Golders Green area of London. And according to Radar Online, Winehouse's parents, Janis and Mitch, her brother Alex and her boyfriend Reg Traviss were among the 150 people in attendance. Also there were pals Kelly Osbourne -- who wore her hair in Winehouse's signature beehive style -- and Mark Ronson, producer of Winehouse's 2006 album Back in Black (and the brother of Samantha Ronson). Winehouse's ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil -- who is currently serving 32 months in jail on a violent crimes charge -- was not allowed out of prison for the funeral.
TMZ reports that Mitch Winehouse delivered a touching eulogy, sharing stories from Amy's childhood and telling his daughter, "Goodnight, my angel. Sleep tight. Mommy and Daddy love you ever so much." The 45-minute ceremony, which included prayers in both Hebrew and English, ended with Carole King's "So Far Away," an Amy favorite that she once performed as a duet with her father. "Mitch encouraged everyone to sing to it and they did," a rep for Winehouse told People. "People sang."
Following the ceremony, mourners headed to the Golders Green crematorium, where Winehouse was to be cremated. "I think because her grandmother was cremated at the same place, so it was a family tradition to be cremated," the singer's rep told People. Some of Winehouse's ashes reportedly will be scattered with those of her grandmother Cynthia, who died of lung cancer five years ago.
The funeral may help bring peace to Winehouse's loved ones, but they don't have closure yet. An autopsy on Monday was supposed to determine how Winehouse died, but according to the Associated Press, the results were inconclusive. London police have announced that they are awaiting the results of "further toxicology tests," which will take two to four weeks.
Winehouse's death is widely assumed to be related to her very public struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, but the police have presented no evidence to support that theory. Although U.K. newspaper the Daily Mirror reported that Winehouse's friends and family say she died of alcohol and ecstasy use, an anonymous police source told People that Winehouse was not surrounded by paraphernalia or signs of drugs when she passed away.
For his part, Mitch Winehouse believes his daughter was happy when she died. "Amy was the greatest daughter, family member and friend you could ever have. I will talk a lot about her fantastic recovery," Mitch said in a statement to E!'s Mark Malkin. "Recently Amy found love with Reg. He helped her with her problems and Amy was looking forward to their future together. She was the happiest she has been for years."
What's more, Mitch insists that Amy was on the road to kicking her addictions. "3 years ago, Amy conquered her drug dependency, the doctors said it was impossible but she really did it. She was trying hard to deal with her drinking and had just completed 3 weeks of abstinence," he reveals. "She said, 'Dad I've had enough, I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces anymore.'"
As for the night Amy died, Mitch had this to say: "She was not depressed. She saw Janis and Reg on Friday and was in good spirits. That night, she was in her room, playing drums and singing. As it was late, her security guard said to keep it quiet and she did. He heard her walking around for a while and when he went to check on her in the morning he thought she was asleep. He went back a few hours later, that was when he realized she was not breathing and called for help. But knowing she wasn't depressed, knowing she passed away, knowing she passed away happy, it makes us all feel better."
In the statement, Mitch also reveals plans to start the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which he calls "something to help the things she loved -- children, horses, but also to help those struggling with substance abuse. In this country, if you cannot afford a private rehabilitation clinic, there is a two year waiting list for help. With the help of Keith Vaz MP, we are trying to change that."
The singer-songwriter's death has also left questions about her unreleased recordings. Though her musical influence was tremendous, Winehouse only released two studio albums before she passed away. MTV News reports that she had been working on a reported follow-up to 2006's Back in Black for the past two years. It's unknown how many finished songs she actually recorded -- or, indeed, if she recorded any.
Music lovers are now holding their collective breath, hoping that there's another Amy Winehouse album still to come. For now, the world is revisiting her familiar songs: Back in Black is currently No. 1 on the iTunes charts.
Source: http://www.ivillage.com/amy-winehouse-funeral/1-a-367306
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