Alan Woodhouse knew Amy Winehouse in her younger years, and the NME journalist saw firsthand the impact fame had on the late 27-year-old singer.
"A few years ago I bumped into her at the Hawley Arms in Camden with her big beehive and all her tattoos," Woodhouse told Us Weekly. "She was drunk, but she looked like a different person. She sounded the same — the same north London accent — but she wasn't the same person… The fame thing was just too big for her."
"She was just a pretty ordinary north London girl," he said. "She had an incredible gift but I don't think she realized how big she was going to make it… It just consumed her, and there was no way she could deal with it. Can you imagine going out and literally everybody knowing who you are? She was so massive all over the world.
Woodhouse thought the "Rehab" singer's recent performances were "obviously a mistake."
"She hadn't released an album for five years," he said. "[Her management] wasn't pushing her to go back to the studio. I think what possibly happened is that they'd seen she was maybe getting it together a little bit. Apparently she'd been a bit healthier recently and maybe they thought getting her on stage would inspire her again. Obviously it was the wrong thing, it was just a disaster."
According to Woodhouse, those surrounding Winehouse "made sure there was no alcohol in her hotel room. People weren't allowed to serve her alcohol."
"I think they were trying to help her beat her demons," he added. "It was sad and tragic, but it's quite easy to apportion the blame, but none of this was easy."
An autopsy performed Monday at St. Pancras Mortuary did not establish a formal cause of death, Metropolitan Police told Us in a statement. "We are awaiting the results of further toxicology tests," they added. Further information regarding Winehouse's death is not expected for at least another two to four weeks.