“I Really Should Have Just Run After Her”: Paul McCartney Wished He Could Go Back in Time and Help This Troubled Singer

As someone who has been a major part of the music industry since the 1960s, Paul McCartney has undoubtedly run into countless troubled musicians around the world, but one singer he never helped has always nagged him in hindsight. Of course, such is the way of regret. There would be no need for it if we had the ability to go back in time and change our actions.

But because that’s impossible and time keeps marching on, McCartney has held on to his remorse, especially after the troubled singer he wished he could have saved died in the summer of 2011.

Paul McCartney Wished He Could Have Helped This Singer

From the initial waves of Beatlemania to the tragic killing of his bandmate, John Lennon, and everything before, after, and in between, Paul McCartney has certainly witnessed a lot in his lifetime. McCartney has been around to see every member of the infamous 27 Club die, but one of its unlucky members always stuck with him a bit more than the rest.

McCartney recalled meeting Amy Winehouse for the first time in passing in 2008. Winehouse was at the height of her fame and corresponding scandals around her relationships, mental health, and substance abuse. The two British icons passed each other at the European MTV Awards in Liverpool.

“I knew she had a problem, and I ended up just saying hi,” McCartney recalled in a 2018 interview with GQ. “But afterwards, I thought I really should have just run after her. ‘Hey, Amy, listen, you’re really good, I really hope you…’ and say something that broke through the despair. And she’d remember and think, ‘Oh, yeah,, I’m good, I’ve got a life to lead.’ But you always have those little regrets.” 

Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in her London home on July 23, 2011.

Amy Winehouse’s Family Isn’t So Sure It Would’ve Helped

Paul McCartney’s sentiment about wishing he could have helped singer Amy Winehouse is certainly well-intentioned, but some of Winehouse’s family thought the idea inflated McCartney’s influence over others—particularly those suffering from substance abuse disorder. During an appearance on the British talk show Loose Women, Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, disagreed that McCartney would have been able to help.

“What could he have done?” He asked (via People). “It’s up to the person in recovery. She had all the support that she needed. A lot of people think they can fix things. Why would he be able to fix things?” Still, the grieving father added, “It didn’t hurt me that Paul said that,” and called him a “very nice man.”

Still, McCartney wasn’t the only industry veteran who regretted not doing more to reach out to the “Rehab” singer. In Tony Bennett’s memoir Just Getting Started, the crooner shared similar reflections on Amy.

“Should I have told her that I’d contended a little bit with [drugs and alcohol] myself and knew how you can fall into a bad cycle, but I also knew that could bring yourself back? Would it have made a difference if someone she considered an idol had said to her something like, ‘You’re my idol. You are a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Please don’t take that from the world.”

Photo by Neil Mockford/GC Images