Amy Winehouse Bronze Statue Unveiled in London

Amy Winehouse may be gone, but she has not been forgotten.

A bronze statue of the late singer was unveiled in the north London borough of Camden on Sunday. The statue, designed by sculptor Scott Eaton, features Winehouse wearing her trademark beehive hairdo accented by a live red rose, and a star of David necklace. Situated at the Stables Market, the statue honors Winehouse, who tragically succumbed to alcohol poisoning three years ago at age 27.

Actress Barbara Windsor, a friend of Winehouse's and an active participant in the Amy Winehouse Foundation charity, was on-hand to present the statue on what would have been Winehouse's 31st birthday.

"I've been in this business for 66 years now and I've had many honours throughout my career, but this is the greatest honour," said Windsor. "I was one of the fortunate people who got to know Amy in the last few years of her too short life. Not only was she one of the greatest talents that this country has ever produced, she was a warm, lovely kind and fun lady. She was what we call in our business a superb bird, that's what she was. Amy loved Camden with a passion and Camden loved her so it's only right her presence should remain here."

"It's a day of incredibly mixed emotions," said Winehouse's father, Mitch, who poignantly kissed the statue on the cheek after its unveiling. "They don't put statues up for people who are with us anymore so it reinforces the fact that physically she's gone but spiritually she'll never leave us. I feel sad, very, very sad. We shouldn't be here but we are, this is the reality and we've just got to make the most of it. So this statue is part of making the most of it. Getting people to come here, spend some time with Amy and put a flower in her hair and remember her in a very positive way. That for me is wonderful."

Winehouse's father would go on to add: "I'll be coming to visit it all the time. It was difficult to see the sculpture at first but I'm getting used to it. It looks just beautiful."

It's an opinion shared by Winehouse's mother, Janis, who was also in Camden for the reveal.

"It's just a wow, a definite wow," she said. "I am pleased with how the statue turned out because you can see that it's Amy. ... Camden is Amy's place, it's where she belongs."

All in all, the statue is an evocative, visually striking work. You could probably argue that it all seems a bit on the grim side, but I think this is more of a celebration of her spirit and who she was than a grim reminder of her absence. But that's only my interpretation. What do you think of the statue? Check out the photo below:

Credit: Hannah Mckay/EPA

Via: The Guardian