Remembering Amy

Amy Marking the 10th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s tragic death, her best friend, Tyler James, has written a memoir that recollects the magic, the music and the mayhem that encapsulated the iconic singer

- Tyler James

In May 2007, Back to Black entered the US Billboard album charts and stayed there till the following March, when it peaked at number two. That’s a colossal thing to happen to an artist from the UK.

That May, Amy was in America doing promo, with her on-off boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil. By now, he had complete control over her life. He’d cut off all her friends. I hadn’t seen Amy for weeks. I was in Sydney when she rang. “Tyler, guess what? Me and Blake just got married!” She was in Miami. I didn’t know she was even thinking about getting married. She rang me minutes after they got married, I think because she felt bad. The people at Amy and Blake’s wedding were Blake’s friends. Two of them the witnesses. And [her manager] Raye. There was no-one else, not her dad or her mum. I wasn’t surprised they’d get married – Bonnie and Clyde against the world – but I thought at least she’d have a do. I thought at least I’d be there! But it was spur of the moment, both high as kites on drugs and booze. It would’ve felt romantic and ballsy and fuck it.

Blake was her world, he was keeping her in his world and only his world. He was travelling everywhere with her, flying first class, an addict whose drugs were all paid for. Amy didn’t care about money so she wouldn’t have thought about a prenup or anything like that. If it crossed her mind that day that if they divorced he’d be entitled to half her money, or if she died he’d be entitled to all of it, she would’ve just shrugged. He was her man so he deserved it. She already looked after him and he knew she’d give him the blood out of her veins if he asked for it.