Another day, another round of drama in the life of Amy Winehouse. Yesterday the singer was hospitalized at London's University College Hospital after she fainted at her nearby home due to unknown causes.
"Amy was at home this afternoon when she briefly fainted," read a statement froma spokesperson at Island Records. "Fortunately, her manager's assistant was there to stop her falling. She quickly recovered, and her father, Mitch, took her to hospital as a precaution." Island declined to comment on reports that Winehouse was given an adrenaline shot and had her stomach pumped for a suspected drug overdose.
After undergoing tests yesterday, Winehouse spent the night in the hospital, where she is to undergo further evaluation. "She's staying there for the time being," the spokesperson said. "They are still not quite sure what happened and the tests were inconclusive." No other information has been given for the collapse, although it is known that the singer has been advised "to take complete rest." As a result, upcoming performances in Norway and Denmark this week have been cancelled.
Sadly, this latest inclident is becoming commonplace for the troubled singer, whose gaunt, scratched appearance and alleged drug abuse issues have caused concern for her well-being. She was admitted to a London hospital last year suffering from what was called "severe exhaustion" amid reports that she was enrolled in a rehabilitation clinic to deal with drug abuse. She also checked into rehab in January.
The fainting spell comes just a few days after Winehouse flew to Moscow for a reported $2 million to give a private concert at the opening of an art gallery run by the girlfriend of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Winehouse arrived in the Russian capital "in no condition to appear," according to the New York Daily News. When the singer finally performed, two hours after her appointed time, she did it "wobbling onto the stage down a red carpet lined with red lights, which guided her like a damaged aircraft down a runway," the paper reported. Eyewitnesses called her performance "sloppy."
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Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.
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