Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning, inquest finds

Oct 26, 2011, 16:28 GMT

London - Amy Winehouse, the troubled British soul singer who was as famous for her music as for her battle with drink and drugs, died of severe alcohol poisoning, an inquest into her death found Wednesday.

Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, coroner Suzanne Greenway said the star was more than five times over the legal drink-drive limit when her body was discovered in her flat in Camden, north London, on July 23.

The inquest heard that the singer, most famous for her 2006 album Back to Black, had 416 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in her body. The legal drink-drive limit in Britain is 80 milligrams.

'She had consumed sufficient alcohol at 416 mg per decilitre (of blood) and the unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden and unexpected death,' ruled Greenway.

Winehouse had not been drinking for the previous three weeks, and was also free from drugs, the inquest at St Pancras Coroners Court was told, but then hit the bottle a few days before her death.

Just a month before her death, at the start of a European tour, Winehouse shocked fans in Belgrade with a drink-fuelled performance that saw her being booed off the stage.

The inquest heard that at 200 milligrams of alcohol per decilitre of blood, someone would lose control of their reflexes and 350 milligrams was considered a fatal level.

Earlier toxicology results showed the troubled star had 'no illegal substances' in her blood. An autopsy conducted soon after her death also failed to establish what killed her.

Winehouse's doctor, Christina Romete, told the inquest that her patient would abstain from alcohol for weeks only to drink again for weeks at a time, ignoring all warnings. She also took medication to cope with anxiety and withdrawal symptoms.

'She had her own way and was very determined to do everything her own way,' said Romete. 'Including any form of therapy. She had very strict views.'

Romete said she saw Winehouse the night before she died. The singer was 'tipsy but coherent' and told her that while she did not know if she was going to stop drinking, 'she did not want to die,' reported the doctor.

'She was looking forward to the future,' Romete said.

The singer's parents, Mitch and Janis, who have set up a charity in her name to help young people with problems, said they felt 'some relief' to know what had happened to their daughter.

'The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time,' the parents said in a statement.

Speaking about the foundation set up in the singer's name, they said: 'It means a lot to us and, from the overwhelming messages of support we have had since Amy died, we know she meant a great deal to people all over the world.'