The Silver Screen Oasis

Breaking news - Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her house in London, no official announcement yet, neighbours confirmed it is the singer who has died.

If this is true it is a sad, sad day for music. Coupled with the tragedy in Norway I'm feeling really sad now.

Only two albums, but such an enormous impact and lasting influence. Jazz meets Soul meets R & B meets blues. Frank is good Back to Black essential.

R.I.P. Amy.

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There are thousands of talented people in this world and many of them never experience fame or notoriety. I am sorry to say that I (personaly) find it hard to grieve for renegade and irresponsible people who constantly test our judicial system. Her, Winehouse, drunken and drugged behavior goes against my grain. Count the very many performers who's life ended by their own hand at a very early age in their life and grieve for that. I cried for the end of Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland and many other wonderful entertainers but please don't ask me to feel sorrow for those who chose public humiliation with their long battles with drugs and alcohol. Also keep in mind the many film and concert performers who today are under 30 and appear in the news frequently for drug and alcohol abuse. I do not grieve for them alive and certainly will not when they choose to end it all.

I do welcome those who truly rehabilitate themselves and become useful humans eventually. My hat is off to them. My big fear is the youth of the world regard these ingrates as heroes and try to emulate them. We do not need to celebrate their deaths no matter how many songs they sang.

I truly miss the wonderful world of 1930,40,& 50 movies where punk violence mostly did not exist. It is tough for senior citizens, like me, to enjoy the current entertainment environment.

True, Marilyn and Judy are far more worthy of our sympathy than the punks of today. I mean they were stars! They entertained. Sure they used drugs and alcohol, but on the QT; there were never any public displays of their abuses. Well, at least not many. That there are still questions surrounding whether or not their overdoses were accidental is irrelevant. Unlike the kids of today emulating their punk heros, they clearly would do better following the paths that Judy, Marilyn and their ilk took.

We should make a list of those stars who died from their addictions that are worthy of our sympathy. Marilyn and Judy are a given. Bela? Sanders? I think we should include any and all movie stars that appeared in films from the 30s, 40s and 50s. Anyone who gained popularity after the 60s is out! (Sorry River and Heath; though accidental, that means you.)

Should all musicians and singers be out just because? I think so but I might be persuaded otherwise. Clearly Hendrix and Joplin are out. They are still the poster children. But do we include Billie? Dorothy Dandridge? Tommy Dorsey?, etc.

Uncle Stevie, I think it's a shame that you chose to post such negative views about Miss Winehouse on a thread about her death. I feel it's in bad taste and judgement to malign someone recently deceased. Talent is talent, whether it belonged to the classic period we all seem to be fond of or with Amy Winehouse, wasted talent is a shame.

I can't see any difference between Amy Winehouse and some of the stars of yesteryear that you mentioned, apart from the fact that the press had more respect for them in days gone by and they were often protected by their studios and stories were squashed. Today it's a press free for all, fuelled by twitter, facebook etc it's hard for any privacy or cover up. There is a need from some of the public to consume everything about celebrities and a baying for blood for the ones that fall. Amy Winehouse wasn't any worse than Marilyn, she had much more still to give both are tragic figures. She was an extremely talented young lady who it seems has been beaten by her demons like Marilyn and Judy, Janice and Jim, Billie etc

Her new album it seems is complete and surely going to be a best seller.