Amy Winehouse was at the peak of her career when she tragically died from alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011. She left behind devastated fans and became part of the 27 club, a group of celebrities who have all sadly and strangely died at the age of 27. There have been many pieces of art dedicated to her over the years as people mourn the loss of a great singer and personality.
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Many people loved Amy, but few knew her personally. However, her former band mate and friend Dale Davis has spoken out about what was said between the pair the night before she died.
Amy’s highs and lows
Amy Winehouse was from North London, and came from a Jewish family. She started off performing in smaller jazz clubs before her career really took off. Unfortunately, as is detailed in the recent biopic, Amy’s life started spiralling out of control as she dealt with substance abuse, bulimia, and a toxic relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. Blake, a former video production assistant who has since gone on to pursue a career in acting, is often blamed for getting Amy into hard drugs. The pair were married from 2007 to 2009.
Davis said:
For a long time I was her favourite person to go anywhere with and then I was second after Blake.
The bassist explained that after their breakup, he was ‘back to being her favourite person’.
Amy and Davis’ relationship
Davis met the singer in 2003 when Amy was 19. A few months later, she would release her first album Frank. Davis auditioned for her live band, and jokingly explained:
I didn’t get the job at first because she fancied the bass player who went in before me. But he was too expensive and only did one show so they called me. I’ve always dubbed myself the uglier, cheaper version.
Over their years working together, the pair became close and David became the band’s musical director. They’d always have a laugh together, but during tough times Davis also became a shoulder for Amy to cry on. He explained that it took time to develop such closeness because Amy was a bit ‘awkward’ at first. However, the musician said that once she liked you, you were in:
If she loved you, she loved you hard. She was a warm, beautiful, generous person who made me feel special right from the off.
He added: ‘Obviously, it all ended sadly but it was an honour to be a part of Amy’s world and I would never change it.’
The night before she died
Davis has revealed that he spoke to the troubled singer the night before she died. He said:
I was out with her two nights beforehand. And she used to ring my house regularly around that time to speak to my wife (now ex-wife) and son.
He added that Amy once told his ex-wife that ‘she didn’t think she’d see 28’. On the night in question, Davis spoke to Amy on the phone and she said to him:
Dale, I’ve just been watching myself on YouTube and I can sing, can’t I?
He told her that she she was ‘the best’, and added:
I’m glad she went to bed with that thought.
The musician continued and said 'she needed to appreciate she could sing because she was very humble. Even at her level, a person can never see it in themselves. They probably think, ‘Is the adulation real or not?’
The next day, Amy told her security that she was going to sleep at around 10AM. Her live-in bodyguard checked on her later that day only to find she had died alone in bed. She had a laptop on the bed and empty vodka bottles on the floor.
Back to Black, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, has divided critics with some claiming it rather nastily focuses on the turmoil of her relationship and others suggesting it is a fair depiction of what really happened to the young star.
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Sources used:
The Sun: MY DEAR AMY I spoke to Amy Winehouse on night she died… she only needed to take one more step to be happy, says close pal Dale Davis
The Guardian: Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning, second inquest confirms
