Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Mark Ronson


Finally, some peace for Amy Winehouse.
Three days after her sudden passing—and just one day after preliminary autopsy results into the possible cause of her death proved inconclusive—the troubled British singer was laid to rest in a private funeral service in London.
The Winehouse family, along with friends Mark Ronson—who not only produced Amy's breakthrough Back to Blackalbum, but called her a "sister" and "musical soulmate"—and Kelly Osbourne—one of Amy's closest friends, who helped her during one of her stints in rehab—were among the 200 mourners gathered together to pay their respects at north London's Edgwarebury Cemetery. Amy's most recent boyfriend, Reg Traviss, and many of her band members, were also at the service.
The service lasted roughly an hour and was led by a rabbi, who conducted the ceremony partially in Hebrew.
Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, gave the eulogy, described as touching and humorous, telling several stories about Amy's childhood and celebrated her life.
"Goodnight my angel," he said. "Sleep tight. Mommy and Daddy love you ever so much."
"Mitch was funny, he told some great stories from childhood about how headstrong she was, and clearly the family and friends recognized the stories and laughed along," family spokesman Chris Goodman said in a statement.
"He stressed so many times she was happier now than she had ever been and he spoke about her boyfriend and paid tribute to a lot of people in her life."
Further paying homage to Winehouse, several of the female attendants, including Osbourne, wore their hair in the singer's trademark beehive style.
Not in attendance at today's funeral: Amy's inconsolable ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, who is currently serving a 32-month sentence on burglary and weapon offenses. He requested a leave from jail, but was denied.
Several fan mourners and photographers lined the outside of the cemetery, though were not allowed inside the gates as it was a strictly private affair. The memorial service ended at roughly 1:15 p.m. London time, and was played out to Carole King's "So Far Away," one of Amy's favorite songs. Mitch reportedly encouraged those in attendance to sing along with the tune, which they did.
The service was followed by a cremation attended by friends and family at the nearby Golders Green Crematorium. There was no sign of Winehouse's remains arriving at the building, which was flanked by fans and reporters, though it's believed a private ambulance carrying her body arrived through a private entrance.
A private gathering for family and friends was held afterwards at the Southgate Progressive Synagogue in north London.
The family will later sit a two-day Shiva, with the mourning ceremony expected to begin at 5 p.m.
The 27-year-old died on unknown causes on Saturday. Toxicology tests are pending, but results are expected in two to four weeks. The inquest into Amy's death will resume in October.

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