Amy Winehouse Died From Quitting Drinking, Family Thinks
The family of singer Amy Winehouse has blamed her decision to quit drinking as the reason for her death. Amy’s father Mitch Winehouse reportedly said during her funeral that she had not had a drink for three weeks, and reports are saying that family sources believe the dramatic withdrawal and “shock” could have killed her.
Sources told the Britain’s Sun newspaper that Amy had ignored her doctor’s suggestion to gradually cut back on alcohol. They believe the four-foot-eleven inch tall singer’s body could not handle the abrupt change, and that a seizure may have ended her life.
A source close to the family said, “Abstinence gave her body such a fright that they thought it was eventually the cause of her death”.
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Three days before her death, there were reports that Amy had been drinking Red Bull and gin at the iTunes festival in Camden, London. Mitch Winehouse discharged the reports and defended his daughter’s sobriety in his eulogy, and a family source revealed more of what was said at the funeral.
“He wanted everyone to know that he, her boyfriend, and her manager believed it was actually the opposite,” said the family informant. “He said that doctors had told Amy to gradually reduce her intake of alcohol and to avoid binging at all costs. Amy told him she couldn’t do that. It was all or nothing and she gave (alcohol) up completely.”
The source close to the Winehouse’s family added, “Mitch said the shock of giving up, after everything she had been through over a bad few years, was just too much for her to take.”
Liver specialist Professor Roger Williams told Sky News Online that it is “unlikely” that Amy died from quitting alcohol. He said it is possible that she could have died from alcohol withdrawal, but only within the first 36 hours of quitting.
Williams treated the former British soccer player and alcoholic George Best.
“It is certainly possible to die from alcohol withdrawal or delirium tremens (DT) as it affects the heart,” said Williams. “But it occurs between 24-36 hours of giving up alcohol.”
He also stressed that not every patient experiences DT, which can cause vomiting, convulsions, and in extreme cases death.
The cause of the “Rehab” singer’s death is still unknown, and police await a toxicology test that could take up to four weeks.
