Contrary to earlier reports that singer Amy Winehouse may have died from alcohol withdrawal, today the coroner in charge of her case has released a report to the official inquest showing that the she had in fact drunk herself to death.
According to the BBC, three empty vodka bottles, two large and one small, were found at her flat at the time of her death. Winehouse had 416mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, more than 5 times the legal drink drive limit in the UK which is 80mg.
The level of alcohol would be considered a fatal level said the pathologist who conducted her post-mortem examination. The pathologist also found that Winehouse’s organs had been in good health but that the sheer amount of alcohol in her system would have stopped her breathing and eventually resulted in her slipping into a coma.
As reported earlier there were no illegal substances found in her system when she died according to official toxicology tests.
The inquest also heard from those closest to Winehouse in the hours leading up to and after her death. She was first found by her live-in guard Andrew Morris who at the time thought the singer was having a nap. However when he went back to check on her five hours later she was in the same position. “I was immediately concerned, went over and checked to see if she was OK,” he said. “I checked on her and realised she wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, so called the emergency services.”
Winehouse’s family were present at the inquest and issued a statement at its conclusion that read “We understand there was alcohol in her system when she passed away – it is likely a build-up of alcohol in her system over a number of days. 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.”
Back To Black, Winehouse’s seminal album from 2006, has gone on to be the highest selling record of the 21st century following her death.
