Wed 25 Jun 2008
Amy Winehouse’s father has spoken of his fears that the singer risks losing her award-winning voice and her life unless she kicks her drug habit.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Mitch Winehouse said his daughter - who was rushed to hospital after collapsing last week - has developed the chronic lung disease emphysema, possibly brought on by smoking crack cocaine.
It has put in doubt Winehouse’s appearance at the Nelson Mandela birthday concert in Hyde Park on Friday with concerns that she may also pull out of Glastonbury the following day.
The extent of her health concerns were outlined by Mr Winehouse in the interview. He told the Sunday Mirror that doctors said if the singer had continued in the way she was going, she would have ended up an invalid.
He said: “She’s got emphysema. It’s in its early stages, but had it gone on for another month they painted a very vivid picture of her sitting there with a mask on her face struggling to breathe.”
Mr Winehouse added that smoking crack and cigarettes had meant that her lungs were “all gunked up”, saying: “The doctors have told her if she goes back to smoking drugs it won’t just ruin her voice, it will kill her.”
The concerned father said his daughter had vowed to stay clean and has started a drug replacement programme. But he fears the circles she moves in could lure her back to substance abuse.
Mr Winehouse said: “I’m saying to those drug dealers, and they know who they are, if they are supplying crack to Amy, then they’ve got to take responsibility. I don’t want her hanging out with her mates like Pete Doherty either. What hope does she have if people are taking drugs around her?”
It is now almost two years since the jazz chanteuse’s last studio album, the critically-acclaimed Back to Black. And fans will be further frustrated if Winehouse is forced to pull out of her forthcoming engagements.
No mention was made by her father of the Mandela gig, but he said he hoped she would make Glastonbury the following day.
