Amy Winehouse was a powerhouse of a singer-songwriter, who tragically became far more famous for her off-stage antics than for her undoubted musical talents.
These abilities transcended the traditional genres of R&B, soul and jazz to create a unique sound that was much imitated once she burst onto the musical scene.
Her debut album Frank (2003) drew critical acclaim, but it was the iconic Back to Black (2006) that garnered her an international following, and went on to win her six major Grammys (the joint record for most won by a female artist in one year). These included three of the big four: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
As well as popular success, Winehouse enjoyed the respect of her musical peers, winning the prestigious Ivor Novello Award three times - in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for Stronger Than Me", in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for Rehab, and again in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for Love Is a Losing Game, among other prestigious distinctions.
Following the success of Back to Black, fans were hungry for more music from Winehouse, but these became increasingly slim pickings as the singer's personal life unwound.
A tempestuous marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil in 2007 only exacerbated Winehouse's mental health problems - the pair of them were regularly photographed in bedraggled state, and Fielder-Civil spent a year of their marriage behind bars for grievous bodily harm and perversion of justice. The pair's on-off union finally ended in divorce in August 2009,
Winehouse was credited with leading the charge in recent years of respected British female musicians, including Duffy and Adele, while her distinctive, bee-hived style made her the muse of other artists and fashion designers including Karl Lagerfield.
Her problems with drug-abuse and self-harm were publicly documented, as was her tempestuous marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil. She took an ironic look at her own life in the song Rehab (2007), but this wariness tragically proved insufficient to protect her from the demons that constantly threatened to overcome her.