Rabbi praises stoicism of Amy Winehouse's family

12 April 2012

The rabbi who conducted Amy Winehouse's funeral service has praised her parents Mitch and Janis for their "stoicism" since her death.

Frank Hellner was asked to conduct the service after a friend of Amy's father, who works with the rabbi's wife at Hendon Reform Synagogue, suggested him. Rabbi Hellner said he was "surprised" to be asked, and met Mitch and his former wife Janis on Monday.

"They were very stoic," he said. "It's the worst thing to have to bury your child. I think they knew this was a strong possibility. She was on a course of self-destruction. Although she was fighting at the end and thought she had prevailed, it had gone too far. She was a frail little girl, and I think it was too much for her body and she succumbed."

Amy had told her parents she wanted to be cremated, despite this going against traditional Jewish practice. Rabbi Hellner said: "In the Liberal movement, cremation is well accepted. I think it was because her grandmother was cremated and they wanted their ashes together."

Winehouse's biographer Chas Newkey-Burden today revealed that the singer, who was found dead at her Camden home on Saturday, was nicknamed "Mummy" by many friends. He said: "If only she had been half as good at looking after herself as she was at looking after others."

Mr Winehouse, singer Eliza Doolittle and Kelly Osbourne were among friends and relatives of Amy who met to remember her at the Jazz After Dark bar in Soho last night.

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