The cause of Amy Winehouse’s death will remain a mystery until October after an initial post mortem examination today proved inconclusive.

Officials performed an autopsy on the singer’s body and an inquest into the tragedy was formally opened, but the hearing was told experts are waiting on the results of toxicology and histology tests before they are able to assess what caused the tragedy.

The inquest heard Winehouse’s body has now been released to her family so they can hold her funeral as soon as possible, in line with Jewish tradition.

During the brief, two-minute session at St Pancras Coroner’s Court in north London on Monday afternoon, Winehouse’s full name was read out along with her address and occupation, which was given as “singer/songwriter”.

Assistant Deputy Coroner Suzanne Greenaway formally adjourned the inquest until 26 October.

Earlier in the day, Winehouse’s family had undergone the harrowing task of formally identifying her body.

The send button was ready on these obituaries:

Amy Winehouse, who was found dead on July 23 aged 27, ticked all the right boxes for a self-destructive wild child of pop, having bags of “attitude”, a drink and drugs problem and a no-good man; yet underneath the ratty beehive hairdo, oversized plastic earrings, kohl-encrusted eyes and tattoo-covered arms, she was also an addictive and engaging performer with a natural deep voice who sang with a jazzy, passionate energy

Amy Winehouse found dead aged 27 in London home

Singer with a soul-steeped voice whose instantly successful Back to Black album reflected her tormented experience of love

Amy Winehouse was ‘past the point of caring’ after row with lover

Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Troubled Life, Dies at 27

Amy Winehouse’s eventful life and tragic death: in pictures

They are rarely seen out together and never make public appearances on the red carpet like so many other celebrity couples.

So Katherine Jenkins and fiancé Gethin Jones caused quite a stir as they arrived at Wimbledon today to watch Jo-Wilfried Tsonga take on Novak Djokovic in the men’s semi-finals. Opera star Katherine looked stunning in her £275 Whistles Siri dress which she teamed with tan accessories.

And former Blue Peter presenter Gethin also looked smart in his beige blazer, black trousers, shirt and tie as the pair made their way to their seats to watch the match.

Before arriving at the All England Club to see the first game, and Andy Murray’s match against Rafael Nadal later in the day, Katherine tweeted: ‘It’s Men’s Semi Final day at Wimbledon and I’m in the Royal Box! Come on Murray!’

Katherine and Gethin announced their engagement in February this year after Gethin popped the question with a £10,000 ring.

Gethin hinted earlier this year that the couple’s nuptials are set to take place in Wales. Asked if they had chosen a venue, Gethin replied: ‘We haven’t got that far yet, but we are both Welsh. I can tell you we are looking at some time next year.’

He later added: ‘All of these details are between me and her. It is natural that people like to know what is happening, but we try and keep our relationship private. We are simply together because we like each other.’

(Sun)

Amy Winehouse has fuelled pals’ fears she is drinking herself to death – after blacking out on vodka three times in the past week.

Last night a worried source said in the wake of the pop diva’s European tour being scrapped: “Her drinking is totally out of control.”

Amy, 27, was booed in Belgrade as she crawled across the stage plastered. Film director boyfriend Reg Traviss, 34, is said to have told the Back to Black singer he will not see her when she is drunk.

The source said: “Amy is constantly out of control on vodka. She is rattling about at home in North London drinking herself into oblivion. Three times this week she has been so drunk she passed out.”

(Reuters)

Amy Winehouse, the British R&B, soul and jazz singer, has been forced to cancel her entire European tour following a disastrous concert in Serbia at the weekend, reports Reuters. Winehouse, who career has been blighted by alcohol and drugs, cancelled all of her scheduled performances after being jeered by fans in Belgrade.

The singer struggled to keep her balance at the concert and often failed to sing the lyrics correctly. The audience reportedly did most of the singing on some of her biggest hits. A spokesman for Winehouse said on Tuesday (21st June 2011), “Amy Winehouse is withdrawing from all scheduled performances. Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen”. The multi-million selling singer was due to perform a string of European dates including a show in Athens on Wednesday (22nd June 2011) and in Bilbao on 8th July 2011. Her tour was scheduled to wind up at the Iolanda Balas Soter Stadium in Bucharest on 15th August 2011. The cancellation comes just three weeks after Winehouse checked out of rehabilitation.

Amy Winehouse won four Grammy Awards in 2008 including ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Album of the Year’ but failed to turn up at the ceremony in Los Angeles because of legal problems. She is yet to release the follow-up to her 2006 record ‘Back To Black’.

The troubled singer – who was booed during a shambolic European comeback performance at the weekend in Belgrade – has reportedly been retired “indefinitely” by her manager Raye Cosbert so she can concentrate on her health and well-being.

A source close to Amy – who checked out of rehab three weeks ago after being treated for drink problems, and has battled drug addiction in the past – told the Sun newspaper: “It has been hard for Raye to watch her get into trouble over the years. There’s only so much he can do – but enough’s enough. She’s going away and this time it could be for years.”

Amy has so far cancelled the next two shows of her 12 date tour – in Greece and Turkey – but the source said Raye is likely to make her cancel all of the shows and head back to rehab.

Following the ‘Back to Black’ hitmaker’s Serbian show – in which she looked wild-eyed and confused, missed her cues, slurred her words and even threw one of shoes into the crowd – the star will not take her fee, so disgruntled fans may get their money back, even though she is entitled to payment.

A promoter told the Metro newspaper: “She did it all according to the agreement. She arrived in Belgrade on time and stayed on stage for 70 minutes, so we can’t do anything.”
However, Amy agreed her performance was below par and will not take any money for the show.

Another source added: “The fact is that Amy won’t be taking her payment for the gig.”

(Associated Press)

The video is painful to watch, an artistic train wreck for all to see. The question is what Amy Winehouse is going to do next.

The five-time Grammy Award winner, whose battles with alcohol and drug abuse have long overshadowed her music career, had a very public meltdown on stage Saturday night in Belgrade, the first stop of her European summer concert tour.

The disastrous performance shattered the goal of the troubled singer’s comeback tour: A renewed focus on her musical ability, not her substance abuse problems. It also raised serious doubts about whether she is well enough to perform before an audience.

Winehouse was jeered and booed as she stumbled around the stage unable to remember the lyrics to her own songs. At times she could barely stand up. She was not able to carry a tune, appearing disoriented and unaware of her surroundings. At one point she dragged over a backup singer to take the mike and sing.

The crowd at Belgrade’s Kalemegdan Park was often unable to decipher even what song Winehouse was performing — a startling problem for a singer who is popular in Serbia. Many of the 20,000 fans walked out in protest, angry that they paid steep ticket prices for such a spectacle.

Serbian media called the concert a “scandal,” with the Blic daily labeling it “the worst in the history of Belgrade.”

Instead of continuing to Istanbul on Monday and Athens on Wednesday for long-scheduled concerts, Winehouse canceled those concerts and returned to her London home. She is now holding talks that are expected to lead to further cancellations of her 12-date European tour.

Winehouse had turned down payment for the Belgrade fiasco, her publicist in London said. Serbian fans flooded the Internet with demands to get their ticket money back, but her management did not comment on the issue of refunds.

The Belgrade meltdown has raised questions about Winehouse’s future viability as a live act.

Winehouse, 27, has been hospitalized twice for injuries suffered after fainting and falling at home, and her father said she has health problems stemming from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine.

Entertainment industry insiders say that if Winehouse cancels more shows she would have major obstacles getting insured.

Neil Warnock, chief executive of The Agency Group booking agency, said Winehouse and her tour promoters may be entitled to insurance coverage for any cancellations. He said insurance settlements would depend on what previous information was provided to the insurance companies.

“If you fairly disclosed any pre-existing conditions, and what caused the cancellation is a new condition, then the artists and promoters would be covered,” he said. “If it’s a pre-condition, then it wouldn’t be covered, or if it’s an undeclared condition that should have been declared, that wouldn’t be covered.”

He said the legal and financial issues that followed Michael Jackson’s sudden death in advance of a series of London performances were based on similar questions.

Warnock said even bands with long histories of substance abuse like the Rolling Stones were traditionally able to meet their contractual obligations and perform at their gigs. He would not speculate directly on Winehouse’s future.

The singer’s next scheduled concert is July 8 in Bilbao, Spain, but it is likely to be cancelled. The tour was to end in Bucharest, Romania, on Aug. 15. The demanding schedule was supposed to be an important test of Winehouse’s ability to stand up to the rigors of live performing.

In addition to her stage troubles, her recording career has also been put on hold. There have long been plans for a follow up to her two successful albums — including the breakthrough “Back to Black” released in 2006 — but new material has not been released.

It has been a dramatic fall for Winehouse, whose grasp of pop and soul — along with her trademark beehive hairdo and her raunchy stage act — brought her worldwide fame and substantial sales.

Her first album “Frank,” released in 2003, was heavily influenced by contemporary jazz and earned her critical acclaim. “Back to Black” arrived three years later and was an overwhelming success with its unusual fusion of jazz, pop and soul with a heavy debt to the girl groups of the early, pre-Beatles 1960s.

It was edgy as well, with the song “Rehab” dealing with the health issues that were soon to sidetrack her musical career.

“They tried to make me go to rehab,” Winehouse sang on the hit. “I said ‘No, no, no.’”

Winehouse has sought rehab therapy in the past after her widely publicized battles with alcohol and drugs.

(Grauniad)

The singer’s performance was a mess, but that’s what made it rock’n'roll

(Belfast Telegraph)

Amy Winehouse has pulled out of two music festivals she was due to appear at this week as she “cannot perform to the best of her ability”, her spokesman has said.

The troubled singer apologised for cancelling her sets at the Kucuk Ciftlik Park festival in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Ejekt festival in Athens, Greece.

Her spokesman said: “Despite feeling sure that she wanted to fulfil these commitments, she has agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home. She would like to apologise to fans expecting to see her at the shows but feels that this is the right thing to do.”

The announcement came after she was reportedly booed and jeered at a concert in Serbia’s capital that kicked off her European tour on Saturday night.

The singer, 27, is also due to appear at Spain’s BBK Live festival in Bilbao, Switzerland’s Piazza Grande in Locarno, Italy’s Lucca festival, Switzerland’s Paleo Festival in Nyon, Nova Jazz and Blues Night in Wiesen, Austria and Poland’s Bydgoszcz Artpop Festival in July.

But her spokesman said these dates are now “under discussion”.

Serbian media described Winehouse’s performance at Belgrade’s Fortress before 20,000 fans as a “scandal” and a “disaster”.

Local media said the Grammy Award-winning chart star appeared an hour late, stumbled to the stage and mumbled through her songs.

She occasionally disappeared, leaving her band playing instead, and sparked an angry response from the crowd.

(BBC News, Belgrade)

Amy Winehouse has been booed by crowds in Serbia’s capital Belgrade after appearing to be too drunk to perform.

The concert was due to kick off her 12-day European tour, but was not the performance that 20,000 fans had hoped to see.

For almost 90 minutes, Amy Winehouse mumbled her way through parts of songs.

She sang a few strained notes, before stumbling across the stage and at one point throwing her microphone to the floor.

At times she left the stage altogether – her band attempting to fill in.

She was frequently booed by the crowd. Many had paid up to €45 (£40) to see her in a country in which wages are some of the lowest in Europe, and their anger was clear.

The Grammy-award winning singer had been under strict instructions not to drink after recently finishing a course of alcohol rehabilitation in London.

Hotel staff on her European tour are said to be under orders to remove alcohol from her room.

She has struggled with addiction for some time and it was hoped this tour might mark a new start.

The singer is due to continue the tour with a performance in Istanbul on Sunday. Cold Turkey?

Amy Winehouse booed and jeered by Serbian crowd as she slurs and stumbles her way through Belgrade concert

Katherine Jenkins wearing a big red hat and a red Azzedine Alaia knit dress with black Yves St Laurent heels to the second day of Royal Ascot. Gethin Jones wearing the same as all the other knobs.