Blake Fielder-Civil Reflects on Amy Winehouse’s Death: “I Had a Part to Play, But It Wasn’t My Fault”
In a candid conversation on the We Need To Talk podcast with Paul C Brunson, Blake Fielder-Civil, former husband of tragic pop icon Amy Winehouse, discussed his tumultuous relationship with the late singer and his role in her battle with addiction. Despite admitting that he had a “part to play,” Fielder-Civil strongly refuted claims that he was entirely responsible for Winehouse’s untimely death at the age of 27.
Winehouse’s tragic death from alcohol poisoning in 2011 came after years of struggling with substance abuse. Two inquests determined that her blood-alcohol content was five times over the legal drink-drive limit. However, Fielder-Civil maintains that Winehouse’s addiction began before their relationship and was not solely the result of their time together.
“I never shirk from responsibility,” he said, acknowledging his involvement in her battle but stressing that Amy “did what she wanted to do,” even as her health deteriorated. Fielder-Civil also revealed that just days before Winehouse’s death, they were discussing the possibility of reconciling. “We were still very much talking about the possibility of reconciling again,” he shared.
Their tumultuous, co-dependent relationship began in 2007 when the couple married after a whirlwind romance, and their struggles with addiction were chronicled in Winehouse’s Grammy-winning album Back to Black. Fielder-Civil admitted to introducing Winehouse to heroin, but he also clarified that she was already experimenting with cocaine before they met.
“I need to defend myself slightly on things,” he said. “Amy had started trying cocaine with her ex-partner. It was known that Amy had experimented with drugs, and it was nothing to do with me.”
Fielder-Civil also spoke about the devastating news of Winehouse’s death, which he learned while serving a prison sentence for burglary and firearm offenses. “When they told me she was dead, my first thought was, this is my worst nightmare,” he said. “I had this massive fear that something was going to happen to her if I wasn’t around.”
He recalled the emotional moment when a fellow inmate offered him support after hearing the news. “I burst into tears. He started crying too,” Fielder-Civil said. “It was strange I got held up by somebody I’d known for a matter of weeks. That was the only comfort I had at that moment.”
The full interview with Fielder-Civil is available on The Louis Theroux Podcast, where he opens up about his turbulent past with Amy Winehouse, their complex relationship, and the pain of losing her.
