• Amy Winehouse documentary planned for the big screen

    Toby Melville / Reuters

    Amy Winehouse.

    By Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter

    Universal Music and acclaimed documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia are teaming to bring the story of Amy Winehouse's life and career to the big screen.

    Focus Features International, a division within the Universal empire, will shop the high-profile project to foreign buyers at next month's Cannes Film Market.

    “This is an incredibly modern, emotional and relevant film that has the power to capture the zeitgeist and shine a light on the world we live in in a way that very few films can,” said Kapadia and producer James Gay-Rees.

    PHOTOS: Posthumous roles: 15 stars who appeared on the big screen after their death

    “Amy was a once-in-a-generation talent who captured everyone's attention; she wrote and sung from the heart, and everyone fell under her spell. But tragically, Amy seemed to fall apart under the relentless media attention, her troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle. As a society we celebrated her huge success, but then we were quick to judge her failings when it suited us," they added.

    Winehouse rose to international fame with her second album, "Back to Black,"  which has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide since its release in 2006. The English artist died in 2011 of alcohol poisoning.


    Report: Beyonce to cover Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" for "Gatsby" soundtrack

    “Asif and James have the remarkable ability to bring a moving and thought-provoking story to life, as evidenced by Senna. We look forward to seeing their vision of Amy Winehouse," Focus International co-president Alison Thompson said.

    The untitled Winehouse doc reunites Kapadia with producer Gay-Rees; they worked together on the 2010 award-winning doc "Senna," which recounts the life and death of Brazilian car-racing champion Ayrton Senna.

    Related content:

    Show more
    Explore related topics: , ,

  • Amy Winehouse died from alcohol, second death inquest confirms

    By Jill Lawless, The Associated Press

    LONDON -- Amy Winehouse died from accidental alcohol poisoning when she resumed drinking after a period of abstinence, a second coroner's inquest confirmed Tuesday.

    Coroner Shirley Radcliffe ruled that the 27-year-old soul singer "died as a result of alcohol toxicity" and recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. She said there were no suspicious circumstances.

    Slideshow: Amy Winehouse: 1983-2011

    Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty Images

    Launch slideshow

    She said that Winehouse "voluntarily consumed alcohol -- a deliberate act that took an unexpected turn and led to her death."

    The Grammy-winning singer, who fought a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse for years, was found dead at her London home on July 23, 2011, with empty vodka bottles scattered around her.

    Radcliffe said a postmortem had found that Winehouse had a blood alcohol level five times the legal driving limit, and above a level that can prove fatal.

    She said that that much alcohol could affect the central nervous system so much that a patient could "fall asleep and not wake up."

    Pathologist Michael Sheaff told the inquest that Winehouse had likely suffered a respiratory arrest after consuming so much alcohol. The level in her blood was 416 milligrams per 100 milliliters, a blood alcohol level of 0.4 percent. The British legal driving limit is 0.08 percent.

    Winehouse's family did not attend the 45-minute inquest, which was held after the original coroner was found to lack the proper qualifications for the job.

    That coroner later resigned after her qualifications were questioned. She had been hired by her husband, the senior coroner for inner north London. But she had not been a registered lawyer in Britain for five years as required.

    In Britain, inquests are held to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances.

    Tuesday's verdict was the same as that produced by the first inquest in 2011.

    The beehive-haired Winehouse shot to global fame with her 2006 album "Back to Black," which won five Grammys. But her erratic public behavior, turbulent private life and frequent health problems -- which included seizures, emphysema and bulimia -- often overshadowed her talent.

    Tuesday's second inquest re-heard testimony from witnesses and experts including the bodyguard who found Winehouse dead, the police officer who investigated and a doctor who treated the singer as she tried to quit drugs and alcohol.

    The doctor, Christina Romete, said Winehouse was "a highly intelligent individual, very determined and willful," who did not easily follow doctors' orders and resisted suggestions she seek psychological help.

    She said the singer had successfully given up drugs after a period taking heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana, but had struggled to stop drinking, going through periods of abstinence followed by booze binges.

    She started drinking a few days before her death, after being dry for almost two weeks.

    "She said she started drinking again because she felt bored," said Romete, who saw Winehouse the day before she died.

    "I asked Amy if she was going to stop drinking that evening, and she said she did not know," the doctor said.

    More Entertainment news:

  • Amy Winehouse play canceled after family objects

    EPA

    Amy Winehouse.

    By Rolling Stone

    A play about the life of Amy Winehouse has been scrapped after the late singer's father denied permission to use her music and likeness, according to the New York Times. The Royal Theater in Denmark has canceled the production, which was set to open Jan. 30th, after the reaction from Mitch Winehouse. 

    Amy Winehouse's father: "I miss her more than I can say"

    Eleven Danish playwrights collaborated on the script for the play, which focused on the singer's troubles with drugs and alcohol and "the enormous pressure a sensationalist public put on a young superstar when her problems began," as the producers suggested. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.


    Nas, Tony Bennett to be honored at Amy Winehouse inspiration awards

    Related content:

    More in Entertainment:

  • Reports: Amy Winehouse's ex in medically-induced coma following overdose

    Dave Hogan / Getty Images

    Amy Winehouse and her then-husband Blake Fielder-Civil in 2007.

    By Alexis L. Loinaz, E! Online

    A little more than a year after Amy Winehouse's death, her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is now fighting for his life. The 30-year-old has reportedly been put into a medically induced coma and remains on life support after suffering an alleged overdose on Friday, according to various reports. 

    Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil call it quits

    Per the Daily Mail, Fielder-Civil, who's had a long history of substance abuse, was found by his partner, Sarah Aspin, choking in bed Friday and was rushed to a nearby hospital in West Yorkshire, England.

    He reportedly suffered multiple organ failure and has been placed on life support.

    According to The Sun, Aspin claims that Fielder-Civil arrived home on Thursday "slurring his words and staggering," and she feared that "he was on something." The couple has a 15-month-old son together.


    Amy Winehouse's jailed ex-husband inconsolable over her death

    Fielder-Civil and Winehouse, who were married for two years until 2009, had an infamously tempestuous relationship punctuated by reports of rampant substance abuse and violent fights. In 2011, he was incarcerated for burglary and firearm possession.

    Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, took to Twitter Thursday to express his concern over Fielder-Civil's health, writing, "Terrible news about Blake this morning. Remember Amy loved him. Let's pray for his recovery." 

    Also in TODAY Entertainment:

     

  • Amy Winehouse house on the market for $4.2 million

    House Network Ltd.

    London home owned by Amy Winehouse when she died goes on the market.

    By Martha C. White

    The house belonging to Amy Winehouse has been put up for sale by the singer's family two months before the anniversary of her death.

    Winehouse was 27 years old when she died last year after a long and public battle with drug and alcohol abuse. 

    The house, in London's Camden neighborhood, is on the market for 2.7 million pounds, approximately $4.2 million. A family spokesperson told British tabloid The Sun, "Amy loved that house but none of the family felt it appropriate that they should live in it." Following Winehouse's death last July, fans turned the house into a makeshift shrine, leaving cards, cigarettes and other mementos outside.

    "Interest is obviously intense at this stage. We're very aware of the sensitive nature of the sale and the history behind it," Graham Lock, spokesman for listing site Housenetwork.co.uk, said via e-mail. 

    The semi-attached, 2,500-square-foot house has three bedrooms, including "an impressive Master Suite with vaulted ceiling," according to the listing. Photos of the house on the listing agent's website show a few hints of rock-star flair in the decorating, like black-and-white checkered floors in the kitchen and master bathroom and a "family room" with bright red walls and ceiling.


    “It was not practical to keep it empty while paying for its upkeep. It is a wonderful place and will be a happy family home for someone,” the family spokesperson told The Sun, which reported that Winehouse bought the home with her father, Mitch Winehouse, in 2010 for 1.8 million pounds.

    "The property price is not easy to reconcile at this moment," Lock said. "It's very difficult to price in the associated history, but as we've seen in the past, residences of legends have changed hands for well above market value and Amy Winehouse is most definitely in this category." 

    Dolly Lenz, Prudential Douglas Elliman and CNBC's Diana Olick, discuss whether U.S. high-end home buyers can compete with growing numbers of foreign buyers.

  • Amy Winehouse death verdict could be unlawful

    Frantzesco Kangaris/EPA

    Amy Winehouse was found dead in her home in Camden, north London, on July 23.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Story updated 1:15 p.m. ET: The local authority, Camden Council, said it was confident Reid "had made an error in good faith" when he appointed his wife, but said the matter was being investigated by Britain's Office for Judicial Complaints.

    Story published 11:30 a.m. ET: The coroner who oversaw the inquest into the death of singer Amy Winehouse has resigned after her qualifications were questioned, officials in Britain said on Wednesday.

    Suzanne Greenaway ruled in October that the 27-year-old soul singer had died from accidental alcohol poisoning.

    However, she resigned after authorities learned she had not been a registered U.K. lawyer for five years as required. It means the verdict in Winehouse's case and 11 others carried out by Greenaway could be subject to a High Court challenge.

    Winehouse's relatives said they were still absorbing the implications of the news.

    Greenaway had been appointed an assistant deputy coroner in London by her husband, Coroner Andrew Reid. She had practiced law for a decade in her native Australia.

    Reid said Wednesday he was "confident that all of the inquests handled were done so correctly" — but offered to hold inquests over again if the families of the deceased wanted it. Greenaway had been in the job since 2009.

    Winehouse's family said it had not yet decided what to do.

    In a statement, the family said it was "taking advice on the implications of this and will decide if any further discussion with the authorities is needed."

    The Sun newspaper, which broke the story, said the dozens of verdicts given by Greenaway would only be overturned if they were challenged in Britain's High Court.

    A security guard found Winehouse dead in bed on July 23 at her home in the Camden district of north London. The singer, known for her distinctive beehive hairdos and multiple Grammy-winning album "Back to Black," had battled drug and alcohol addiction for years.

    The inquest heard evidence from a pathologist, Winehouse's doctor, the security guard who found her and a detective who described seeing three empty vodka bottles in her bedroom. It appears unlikely that a second inquest would produce a different conclusion about how she died. 
     
    The full statement issued by Reid on Wednesday was reported in north London newspaper, the Camden New Journal. It read: "I appointed my wife as an assistant deputy coroner as I believed at the time that her experience as a solicitor and barrister in Australia satisfied the requirements of the post. In November of last year it became apparent that I had made an error in the appointment process and I accepted her resignation.

    "While I am confident that all of the inquests handled were done so correctly, I apologise if this matter causes distress to the families and friends of the deceased. I will be writing to the families affected to personally apologise and offer for their cases to reheard if requested."

    Although the singer was adored by fans worldwide for her unique voice and style, praise for her singing was often eclipsed by lurid headlines about her destructive relationships and erratic behavior. Winehouse herself turned to her tumultuous life and personal demons for material, resulting in hit songs such as "Rehab" and "Love Is a Losing Game."

    Msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson in London and The Associated Press contributed to this report.