LONDON – Troubled Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse was found dead this afternoon at her London home.
The “Back To Black” singer — whose meteoric rise to fame has been dogged by her well-documented struggles with drug addiction — was found by paramedics around 4 p.m. London time.
She was 27.
VIDEO: AMY WINEHOUSE DEAD AT 27
London cops are conducting an investigation.
Amy Winehouse died from a suspected drug overdose, Sky News reported, but at present police are treating her death as “unexplained,” the broadcaster said.
The London Ambulance Service was called to her home in north London just after 4:00pm local time but medics were unable to save her life, saying she was “beyond help,” according to Sky News.
“On arrival, officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene,” a police statement said.
“Inquiries continue as to the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained. There have been no arrests in connection with this incident,” Police Superintendent Raj Kohli told reporters outside her home.
“I am aware of reports suggesting that the death was a result of a suspected drugs overdose, but I would like to re-emphasize that no postmortem examination has yet taken place and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of death,” he added.
Winehouse’s body was removed from her apartment late Saturday, where grieving fans gathered to leave tributes and flowers. An autopsy is expected to be conducted either Sunday or Monday.
Winehouse had last been seen publicly Wednesday at the iTunes festival in North London.
While she didn’t sing, Winehouse staggered on stage and begged the crowd to buy her protege, 15-year-old Dianne Bromfield’s new album.
Last month she cancelled her European tour following a disastrous performance in Belgrade, Serbia where she gave an incoherent performance appearing disoriented and drunk.
Winehouse had a long history of substance abuse, including not only alcohol but heroin and cocaine. As recently as June she had to cancel a planned 12-stop European tour after appearing drunk and struggling to remember her own lyrics at the tour’s first stop in Belgrade, Serbia.
Prior to beginning the tour, she spent a week at the Priory Clinic in London, which offers treatment for addiction problems.
“Everyone involved with Amy is shocked and devastated. Our thoughts are with her family and friends,” a spokesman for the singer said.
Her father, Mitch Winehouse, a part-time singer himself, was en route back to London from New York Saturday, where he had traveled to perform at Manhattan’s Blue Note Jazz Club.
“We are very sad to report that the Mitch Winehouse performance on Monday July 25th is canceled due to the unexpected death of his daughter, Amy Winehouse,” the club said on their website.
Her record label, Vivendi’s Universal Music Group, also issued a statement saying, “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist, performer and friend. Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”
An array of celebrities, including singers Pete Wentz, Demi Lovato, LeAnn Rimes, Miley Cyrus, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, reality star Kim Kardashian, burlesque artist Dita Von Teese and even Sarah Brown, the wife of former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, were among those taking to Twitter to pay tribute to the singer.
“I cant even breath right my now im crying so hard i just lost 1 of my best friends. i love you forever Amy & will never forget the real you!” Kelly Osbourne, daughter of British rocker Ozzy Osbourne, tweeted.
“Its just beyond sad, there’s nothing else to say. She was such a lost soul, may she rest in peace,” British singer Lily Allen wrote.
US-based addiction expert, Dr. Drew Pinsky, also weighed in, “SO sad, another lost to addiction. A reminder this is often a fatal condition. Recovery is possible, but sadly not for Amy Winehouse.”
Amy Jade Winehouse was born on Sept. 14, 1983 and raised in the Southgate area of London by her mother Janis, a pharmacist, and her dad, Mitchell, a taxi driver.
She developed an early interest in jazz from her father, who often sang around the house.
She attended the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and the Sylvia Young Theatre School, but was expelled from the latter at 14, reportedly for “not applying herself” and piercing her nose.
Winehouse’s debut album, “Frank,” was released when the singer was 20. The album hit platinum sales in 2004.
Her second album, “Back to Black,” followed in 2006. Her first to be released in the United States, the album included the single “Rehab,” which Time magazine named the Best Song of 2007 and Rolling Stone called the eighth-best song of the 2000s.
The success of “Back to Black” led to five Grammys for Winehouse in 2008 — earning Winehouse a spot in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Grammy Awards won by a British Female Act.
Before “Back to Black” was released, Winehouse began to struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. She developed a reputation for showing up to performances too drunk to complete a whole set. Her management company suggested she enter rehab, but instead she fired the company and channeled her feelings into her hit single “Rehab.”
Winehouse married Blake Fielder-Civil, a former video production assistant and grammar school dropout, in May 2007. He later admitted to introducing Winehouse to crack cocaine and heroin. They divorced in August 2009.
Winehouse’s abuse issues grew and worsened in 2007, a year in which she canceled numerous shows in the UK and Europe, citing exhaustion or ill health. She was hospitalized in 2007 for a reported overdose of a cocktail of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine, whiskey and vodka.
Though her albums continued to sell in Europe and the US, Winehouse’s health continued to deteriorate. She was denied a US visa due to her “use and abuse of narcotics,” preventing her from performing live at the Grammys in February 2008.
She allegedly punched a fan while performing at the Glastonbury Music Festival in June of the same year.
Winehouse is survived by her father, mother, and older brother, Alex.