Russell Brand Pens Winehouse Tribute
– LONDON –edian and actor Russell Brand, a recovering addict himself, penned a tribute to Amy Winehouse on Sunday, calling her a troubled genius and lamenting the addiction that brought an early end to her life and promising musical career.
In an essay posted to his blog on Sunday, Brand, 36, recalled meeting Winehouse in London when he was only recently recovering from his own drug and alcohol addiction. At the time, he said he considered her “just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends.”
He said that only later did he fully appreciate what he called her “genius,” although by then the media — which he said is “more interested in tragedy than talent” — was already chronicling the details of her deterioration.
The Grammy-winning singer was found dead at her north London home, just after 4:00pm local time Saturday. Despite her very public struggles with substance abuse, London’s Metropolitan Police is still treating her death as “unexplained” until an autopsy is conducted.
Brand noted that Winehouse has beenpared to Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin — other great musicians who died at the age of 27 after struggling with drugs and alcohol.
“Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction,” he wrote. “All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care.”
“Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there,” Brand continued. “All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call.”
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