Heartbreaking Interview from Amy Winehouse’s Parents

If you ever need a reminder of the toll addiction takes, watch a clip from Anderson Cooper’s recent interview with the parents of the late Amy Winehouse. During the family’s first sit-down interview since their daughter’s tragic passing, Amy’s father Mitch blamed her death on her efforts to quit drinking. It’s not the first time they’ve suggested it may have been alcohol withdrawal that killed her.

Toxicology reports showed no illegal drugs were found in Winehouse’s system, but at the end of her life Winehouse was still struggling to deal with her alcohol addiction. Her father confirmed that traces of Librium, a prescription drug used to fight anxiety and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, was found in her system along with some alcohol. No official cause of death has not yet been identified.

"She drank to excess and did detox to excess," Mitch told Cooper, saying it was a pattern he had seen before. "The periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking were becoming shorter," he said. "It was heading in the right direction."

It’s ironic that Winehouse’s attempts to quit drinking may have actually caused her death, but alcohol detox is particularly difficult and should be done under the care of professionals.

Cooper also spoke to Amy's mother, Janis Winehouse, her stepmother, her aunt and boyfriend Reg Traviss. According to Traviss, he wanted to talk to her more about her drinking problem but worried she would feel he was "nagging.”

A full inquest into the singer's death will begin next month.

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