Amy Winehouse Statue Unveiled in London on Late Singer’s Birthday
A life-size bronze statue of Amy Winehouse was unveiled in the North London neighborhood of Camden on Sunday. The Guardian reports that hundreds of fans from all over the world attended the unveiling, which took place on the date that would have been the late singer’s 31st birthday.
The statue, created by sculptor Scott Eaton, depicts Winehouse wearing a star of David necklace and a live red rose in her signature beehive hair-do. Eaton told the BBC that the statue was meant to capture her “attitude and strength, but also give subtle hints of insecurity.”
“The hand on the hip, the turn of the head, the grabbing of the skirt, the turned in foot – these are all small elements that contribute to the personality of the piece,” he said.
The singer’s father, Mitch Winehouse, had been involved in the design of the statue, and both of her parents attended the unveiling. “It’s a day of incredibly mixed emotions,” Mitch Winehouse told the Guardian. “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.”
Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27. Mitch Winehouse, who will be releasing his own second album on September 29th, started the Amy Winehouse Foundation in her memory to provide drug and alcohol support and education services for young people struggling with substance abuse.