In honor of what would have been the 31st birthday of the late Amy Winehouse, a bronze sculpture of the British singer was unveiled on Sunday at the Stables Market in Camden, London, reports the Guardian.
The statue depicts Winehouse with her signature beehive hairdo, and sported a live red rose during the dedication ceremony. Hundreds of fans, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Hawaii to pay their respects, were on hand as the public artwork was revealed.
Winehouse, whose well-known substance abuse problems were the subject of her hit single “Rehab,” died in 2011 from alcohol poisoning, joining a group of troubled musicians who have not made it past the age of 27, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Cobain. The artist, Scott Eaton, hopes viewers find the piece “reflective and contemplative.”
“I was one of the fortunate people who got to know Amy in the last few years of her too short life. Not only was she one of the greatest talents that this country has ever produced, she was a warm, lovely, kind, and fun lady,” said actress Barbara Windsor, who is a patron for the Amy Winehouse Foundation. ” She was what we call in our business a superb bird, that’s what she was. Amy loved Camden with a passion and Camden loved her so it’s only right her presence should remain here.”
“It’s a day of incredibly mixed emotions,” said Winehouse’s father, Mitch, who was instrumental in arranging for the statue’s installation. “They don’t put statues up for people who are with us anymore so it reinforces the fact that physically she’s gone but spiritually she’ll never leave us. I feel sad, very, very sad. We shouldn’t be here but we are, this is the reality and we’ve just got to make the most of it. So this statue is part of making the most of it. Getting people to come here, spend some time with Amy and put a flower in her hair and remember her in a very positive way. That for me is wonderful.”
“I am pleased with how the statue turned out because you can see that it’s Amy,” added her mother, Janis. “We’re very proud of it. Camden is Amy’s place, it’s where she belongs.”
“I’ll be coming to visit it all the time. It was difficult to see the sculpture at first but I’m getting used to it. It looks just beautiful,” Mitch Winehouse added.