September 14 marks what would’ve been Amy Winehouse’s 40th birthday. Her former partner, Blake Felder-Civil appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss his relationship with the singer and what role he feels he played in her untimely death in 2011.
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“Do you feel people still hold you responsible for what happened to Amy,” the host asked Felder-Civil, to which he replied, “Yeah that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to speak today.”
Many fans of Winehouse have placed blame on Felder-Civil for introducing Winehouse to hard drugs, like heroin. They remained in an on-and-off relationship for six years. All the while, they experimented with drugs.
“I do [think they blame me] and that’s okay,” he continued. “I can’t change how other people feel about that. But, for me personally, I’ve needed to stop carrying that cross on my own.
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“I’ve carried that burden myself for over 10 years,” he continued. “I feel like I’m the only person within the story that has ever held any accountability.”
He went on to accept some accountability for the “huge mistakes” he feels he made during his relationship with Winehouse, but also reiterated that he too was “a 20-something drug addict.”
“I had absolutely no idea how to make myself clean let alone someone else who was a big cog in the machine for a record label–there were vested interests in her carrying on performing,” he added.
The host then asked him what he would go back and change if he could.
“Almost everything,” he said. “Her family, her friends, none of them would’ve thought this is what I wanted.”
Winehouse died at age 27 from alcohol poisoning, though she had a myriad of issues that could have contributed to her passing. The singer suffered from bulimia, struggles with the media, and family troubles. Read more about Winehouse’s legacy, HERE.
Photo by Phillip Massey/FilmMagic
