Shameful €3k sale of Amy’s blood-stained ballet shoes
Late singer’s gear in ‘sick’ auction
FRIENDS and fans of Amy Winehouse were horrified to learn the tragic star’s bloodstained ballet slippers were sold at auction for over €3,500.
An infamous picture showed her in the spattered footwear following a brawl with her thenhusband, Blake Fieldercivil, in 2007.
The pumps went under the hammer at a Los Angeles auction house after a pal of the late Rehab singer put them up for sale.
Last night, a former associate of Amy – who died aged 27 in 2011 following years of addiction woes – told us: “This is awful. It seems sick.”
Another source added: “This seems like the final insult. Amy would be turning in her grave.”
And one fan, who posted online about the auction, added: “This is incredibly sad.”
The shoes fetched €3,600 after 22 bids during an auction of hundreds of music icons’ former possessions last year. Beverly Hills auction house Julien’s described them as “well worn” but failed to mention their history.
The seller was listed as Catriona Gourlay, a friend of the star. She and Amy’s stylist, Naomi Parry, have sold a string of mementos of the late singer through the auctioneers.
Details of the sale emerged after Amy’s father, Mitch, sued the pair for €800,000, which he believes they made from Amy’s gear. The 73-year-old alleges that they were not entitled to sell some of the items but they dispute his claims.
Papers filed at the High Court show he is seeking €620,000 in damages from Ms Parry and €230,000 from Ms Gourlay.
It follows a backlash over new biopic Back To Black, which opened in cinemas last week and chronicles Amy’s tragically short life.
The film, which focuses on her stormy six-year relationship with druggie Blake Fielder-civil, a former music video assistant, has suffered a critical panning. Amy’s best friend, Tyler James, branded it “dreadful”, saying the star would be “fuming”. Another pal said the movie was an “extremely painful portrayal”. Amy died two years after divorcing Fielder-civil, now 42, who had been jailed for a heroin-fuelled house burglary just weeks earlier. Since her death, fans and relatives have blamed him for her demise after he admitted introducing her to heroin. An inquest heard how seven-times Grammy Award-winner Amy died of alcohol poisoning after binge-drinking following a period of abstinence. She was found dead in her flat in Camden, North London, with two empty vodka bottles on the floor beside her bed. The macabre sale of her possessions also included a dried-out liquid eyeliner, a red lipstick and a string of vintage frocks. Ms Parry, Ms Gourlay and Julien’s auction house were approached for comment.
This seems sick… It’s like the final insult. Amy would be turning in her grave