The sudden death of Amy Winehouse at the age of 27 has left the music world in shock. Hoards of musicians eulogized the late singer with endless condolences sent over various media and social outlets. "She was my musical soulmate and like a sister to me. This is one of the saddest days of my life," said Mark Ronson, producer of Winehouse's second album, "Back to Black," which topped the charts and brought her five Grammys. "We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist, performer and friend," Winehouse's record company, Universal Music Group, said in a statement. "Our prayers go out to Amy's family, friends and fans at this difficult time." Winehouse was found dead at her North London home on Saturday afternoon. British media have been quick to link the singers death to an overdose of drugs and alcohol, but Police Superintendent Raj Kohli of the British police services has urged patience, as an autopsy has yet to be conducted. Mitch Winehouse, the late singer's father, received the news of his daughters' death while in New York City to perform a jazz concert. In an interview with the British Sunday Mirror, he expressed his bereavement. "This isn't real. I'm completely devastated," he said. In Britain, the singer's death is being called a tragedy. Outside of Winehouse's home in London's Camden neighborhood, hordes of fans gathered to lay wreaths and light memorial candles. Most U.K. newspapers splashed the story across their front pages, although more reputable publications such as The Independent and The Daily Telegraph gave page one to Norway's horrendous terror attack. The Guardian, one of Britain's most distinguished newspapers, distributed the editorial weight equally between the two stories, dividing their front page between the singer's death and the Norwegian tragedy. Winehouse's cause of death has not yet been made public, but nevertheless, the Sunday Mirror ran with the headline "Drugs Killed Amy, 1983-2011." For its part, The Daily Mail reported that the troubled Winehouse was "devastated" after another breakup with her on-off boyfriend. Over the weekend, Twitter became a platform for bereaved industry members and fans to offer their condolences on the singer's passing. Winehouse was praised across the music spectrum, from veteran artists such as band members of Hemi, '80s icon Boy George, rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, electronic artist Moby, indie group The Black Lips, and many others. Legendary vocalist Tony Bennett, with whom Winehouse last collaborated, also expressed his condolences over the singer's passing. Barbados-born singer Rihanna wrote, "I am genuinely heartbroken about this," continuing, "Dear Amy, you made such an impression on this industry and throughout the world, in such a short space of time ... too short." British artist Lily Allen was also taken aback by the shocking news, tweeting, "It's just beyond sad, there's nothing else to say. She was such a lost soul, may she rest in peace." English media personality Kelly Osbourne, who was a close friend of the singer, tweeted, "I cant even breath [sic] right now I'm crying so hard I just lost 1 of my best friends. I love you forever Amy & will never forget the real you." Winehouse was born to a Jewish family in northern London in 1983. Her debut album, "Frank," which dropped in 2003, garnered her much critical praise, but her big break came in 2006 with the release of "Back to Black," which was the highest-selling U.K. album of the following year, earning her fame, accolades and five Grammys. Since 2006, however, Winehouse had waged a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as publicly enduring a number of tumultuous relationships. She became a reliable presence in the gossip columns but was seen less and less in the music scene. Recently, however, Winehouse seemed to turn over a new leaf, starting a new album and scheduling a European musical tour. At that tour's first concert in Belgrade last month, though, Winehouse collapsed on stage, making it clear she had not yet made a full recovery. We now sadly know that she never will.
"I am aware of reports suggesting this death is the result of a suspected drugs overdose," he said, "but I would like to re-emphasize that no postmortem examination has yet taken place and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of death."
