The Smiley Smile Message Board

Shocking, but hardly unexpected. Whatever the cause, no-one should die at 27.

and I hope this 27 club thing doesn't cloud too many people's judgements

I know that everybody liked to poke fun at her about how f*cked up she was, but damn it, she had talent. Here was a person who came along and actually played REAL MUSIC with a real band. It was a breath of fresh air to see and hear somebody who had genuine talent. Not only that, but she had a genuine love and respect for those who came before her. I remember Bill O'Riley and his cronies making fun of her when she won those grammy's, but I believed she deserved every one of them.

What do you mean by this?

As you probably guessed, I was comparing Amy unfavourably to others in that "club". Perhaps I should think twice before making statements about a musician I really don't know enough about. It was a needless (read: tasteless) remark for an In Memoriam topic so I've edited it out. My apologies.   

Here's a sample of her music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebf171vP74k

They've changed it now, but originally the Hollywood Today site article about Winehouse had Brian Wilson as a member of the 27 Club.

As you probably guessed, I was comparing Amy unfavourably to others in that "club". Perhaps I should think twice before making statements about a musician I really don't know enough about. It was a needless (read: tasteless) remark for an In Memoriam topic so I've edited it out. My apologies.   

Early on September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in London. He had spent the latter part of the previous evening at a party and was picked up at close to 03:00 by girlfriend Monika Dannemann and driven to her flat at the Samarkand Hotel, 22 Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill. From autopsy data and statements by friends about the evening of September 17, it has been estimated that he died sometime after 03:00, possibly before 04:00, but also possibly later, though no estimate was made at the autopsy, or inquest.[117]

Dannemann claimed in her original testimony that after they returned to her lodgings the evening before, Hendrix, unknown to her, had taken nine of her prescribed Vesparax sleeping pills. The normal medical dose was a half to one tablet as stated in the literature, but Hendrix was unfamiliar with this very strong Belgian brand. According to surgeon John Bannister, the doctor who initially attended to him, Hendrix had asphyxiated in his own vomit, mainly red wine which had filled his airways.[118] This statement, though, was written in January 1992, while Bannister was being investigated for malpractice and fraud (unconnected to Hendrix), to Shapiro a co-author who had published Electric Gypsy, a book in which Bannister had been accused of malpractice by Monika Dannemann in not performing a tracheotomy. He appears to have been using the amount of wine in his system as a reason for not performing a tracheotomy. He was reprimanded for two counts of medical malpractice, and struck off the medical register on 28 April 1992 for fraud.[119] No one else at the time, the other two doctors, the ambulance men, or the police mentioned wine. The only mention of wine was by Monika much earlier, in Electric Gypsy (which Bannister had read), and that Hendrix had drunk some with food earlier that evening and also by Harvey at his, again, much earlier party, which were both several hours prior to death. The autopsy found very little alcohol in his system. The autopsy never mentioned wine only vomitted matter.[120]

Until her death, Dannemann publicly claimed that she had only discovered that her lover had been sick at 11.00 a.m., but he was breathing, though unconscious and unresponsive (The ambulance was called at 11:18 and arrived 11.27). And that Hendrix was alive when placed in the back of the ambulance at approximately 11:30, and that she rode with him on the way to the hospital;.[121]

The ambulance crew later denied she was even there. However, Dannemann's comments about the timing of some events that morning often differed in places, varying from interview to interview.[122]

Police and ambulance statements reveal that there was no one but Hendrix in the flat when they arrived at 11:27 a.m., and not only was he dead when they arrived on the scene, but was fully clothed and had been dead for some time.[123]

Later, Dannemen claimed that former road managers Gerry Stickels and Eric Barrett had been present before the ambulance was called.[citation needed] and had removed some of Hendrix's possessions, including some of his most recent messages. Lyrics written by Hendrix, which were found in the apartment, led Eric Burdon to make a premature announcement on the BBC-TV program 24 Hours that he believed Hendrix had committed suicide. Burdon often claimed he had been telephoned by Dannemann after she discovered that Jimi failed to wake up.[124]

In 1996, Monika Dannemann committed suicide shortly after being found guilty of contempt of court for repeating a libel against Kathy Etchingham, who had been a girlfriend of Jimi's in the '60's.[125]

With all due respect, Hendrix doesn't belong in that category. He never has and never will. It really annoys me that everybody and their brother in the media likes to throw him in with everybody else. He was 27 when he died though.

He doesn't belong in the typical "drug casualty" group with people like Janis Joplin or Jim Morrison. I never said he doesn't belong in the "club 27" thing.

Yes, and I'm saying that he doesn't belong in a list of people who have tried opiates.

I've wondered about the 27 th year phenomenon.   I suspect that by 27, one has had some years to develop a tolerance and famous and/or wealthy entertainers have easy access to feed their addiction as it grows.  They dodge   treatment because they are seperated from circumstances that might land the common addict in a hospital or jail.  They are enabled by money and those who surround them.

...well said. Despite attempts to keep every psychoactive substance far away from Amy in Belgrade, she managed to get totally sloshed before showtime. She really was ill, in the sense that she herself had no truthful perception any more as to how she came across to others. She even may have been severely deluded on stage in Belgrade, thinking that she was doing a good job. Also, her many statements in the past few years about 'having cleaned up' weren't credible, coming from a person on some tropical beach, giant spliff in hand.

I wonder: is that '27 year club' not just a figment of the imagination? Can't one create easily a '31 year club' also, with stars who died at that age?

The more I think about it, the more I can see a parallel between Amy Winehouse and Dennis Wilson. They both experienced a steady downfall of five or so years, and in the last year or so of their lives, it seemed like they were almost beyond help.

It's almost been 5 years since the tragic loss. Inspired by the film about Amy, RangaWagneR has created a Memorial double Haiku palindrome. [Tapir=a 'paper brand' OR ass/tapir=a Kind of mule if you prefer]:

      ->RIP at SS (Anon.)

EVEN Amy Winehouse, 'JIM'

   'ROD' ... "La Péri" on >
                  ~
          Noir EP, AL.

    Dormi, Jesu - O hen.  ("I:

Wyman, even on 'ass-tapir'?")<-