Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has revealed the advice he gave to the late Amy Winehouse after she turned to him for help during her struggles with addiction. The 79-year-old rock icon shared his memories in an interview with The Sunday Times Culture Magazine, reflecting on Winehouse's tragic death at age 27 on July 23, 2011, from accidental alcohol poisoning.
Wood's Advice to Winehouse
Wood recalled that Winehouse would approach him saying, 'Oh, Ronnie, what am I going to do?' He responded bluntly: 'Look, everyone knows you've got vodka in the water bottle. Get it together and get on stage.' He added that if she could get on stage and stay there, it would be great. Wood expressed sadness that Winehouse didn't live to fulfill her full potential, comparing her loss to saying goodbye to Billie Holiday.
Keith Richards' Regret
Wood's bandmate Keith Richards also shared his regret about not getting to know Winehouse better after she performed with the Rolling Stones at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2007. Richards said, 'I was always sort of 'Well, I'm bound to meet her down the road,' you expect things to happen, and unfortunately, no. But that's what records are for. I'm just very glad and honoured to have played with her at least once.'
Winehouse's Struggles and Legacy
Winehouse's battles with alcohol and drugs were widely documented. Her father, Mitchel Winehouse, pleaded with her to quit substances as her addiction worsened. Her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, admitted introducing her to heroin in the 2000s, saying on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2013: 'I've admitted I was there when she had it first time, yeah it was my doing. I don't think she would have ever experienced it without me.' However, in a later podcast, Fielder-Civil claimed Winehouse had already experimented with drugs before meeting him.
In the weeks before her death, Winehouse performed in Belgrade, but her best friend and former stylist, Naomi Parry, pleaded with those around her not to put her on stage. Parry told The Times: 'I was the only person begging them not to put her on stage. I couldn't even watch, it was unbearable. Inhumane. That was the catalyst for the binge that ended her. She was so broken by it.'
Winehouse is regarded as one of the most influential singers of the modern era, known for her deep contralto voice and raw, personal lyrics. Her second album, Back to Black, remains one of the best-selling albums in UK history and cemented her as a global icon before her death.
