Amy Winehouse’s father hospitalized for stress

I can imagine few things more stress-inducing than being connected to Amy Winehouse in any way, shape, or form. Just owning one of her CDs raises my blood pressure significantly. So imagine what it would be like to be Amy’s poor father Mitch. The taxi cab driver has been a constant at her side. He’s managed to be there for her, though he doesn’t seem to be an enabler.

He has said publicly many, many times that Amy needs to clean up her act before she dies. And by most accounts, he’s done is best to look out for her. But it seems the stress is really starting to get to him – Mitch was hospitalized last week over it.

Dealing with a rebellious daughter can take its toll on any parent, but when that daughter is Amy Winehouse, the parent’s survival comes into question. Amy Winehouse’s dad Mitch collapsed and was hospitalized last week, according to Britain’s The Sun newspaper. Mitch, who has attempted to keep his troubled daughter at home following her hospitalization for an emphysema-like condition, has been suffering from stress-related panic attacks, a friend said.

Seemingly unfazed by her father’s illness, the Grammy Award-winner was back to her usual antics last week. The singer was photographed with a white substance in her nostrils following a weekend DJing gig and was spotted smoking a cigarette at Scotland’s T in the Park festival Sunday night – despite her father’s public warnings that smoking can kill his daughter thanks to her poor lung condition.

“Mitch isn’t well,” the friend said. “He has been taking a lot on and has been dedicating himself to trying to improve Amy’s health. But his own health has suffered as a result. She told him not to worry about her – but that’s easier said than done.”

[From the Daily News]

I feel so badly for this guy. He’s constantly photographed accompanying Amy to various clinics, rehabs, and court. He seems to have been walking a very fine line between trying to help and support his daughter while not enabling her. And he’s been doing it for a long, long time.

Mitch wanted to get Amy sectioned (similar to institutionalized) last year to force her into rehab, but was unable to do so against her will. The Daily News makes a really good point – it really says something terrible about Amy’s character – or the extent of her addiction – that the toll it’s taking on her father’s health doesn’t seem to bother her. As devoted as he appears to be, this might be an indication that Mitch needs to step back and not catch Amy every time she falls.

Here’s Mitch Winehouse taking Amy to the Guanabana restaurant in London on June 8th. Images thanks to WENN.

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19 Responses to “Amy Winehouse’s father hospitalized for stress”

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  1. brianne says:

    I know that all this stress must be hard for him, but you know (and I’m probably gonna get a lot of hate for this),he might be a little better equipped to deal with it if he’d get some excercize and lay off whatever foods have made him so very large, his cholesterol level can’t possibly be healthy. Just a thought.

  2. oxa says:

    i wish she would just off herself so we dont have to hear about her and her dad can spend what time he has left taking care of himself.

  3. All those TV appearences must be tiring?

  4. Deb says:

    Duh, duh me thinks the daughter is stressing him… 😕

  5. Lauri says:

    I feel a lot of sympathy for this man, and I might be out of line here, but isn’t she a product of his upbringing? I realize that she is responsible for the choices in her own life, but one must wonder what has caused her to be so reckless with her life. I could be wrong-maybe he really is a wonderful dad. I just wonder, though, since in my experience it was the people who came from dysfunctional and unhappy homes that tended to turn up with substance abuse issues.

    Just wondering. Also, I never hear anything about her mom. Where is she in the picture?

  6. gg says:

    Oh dear. Stress at his current shape is very dangerous. Amy dying is not going to improve that, obviously. I’m thinking that she just really, really loves the dope, and stays in denial about how she could easily kill both of them with her reckless addiction(s).

  7. Nan says:

    Aaah, yes. This smacks of Jewish guilt. Gotta love it.

  8. Sue says:

    Is there any wonder?

  9. Trashaddict says:

    He’s pretty cheery for those cameras…it looks kinda creepy, I can’t tell if she’s just stoned or hero worshipping or a little incestuous. Dunno much about her folks. Was her mom around while the paps were shooting?

  10. Spike says:

    What’s with all the hating? Mr. Winehouse seems to be a much more appropriate parental figure than “the White Oprah” or Lynn Spears.

    This guy is taking his daughter’s addiction very seriously, but unfortunately she’s young and careless.

    As for the addiction springing from her family, that’s a bit of a stretch. Yes, they’ve found that alcohol and substance abuse runs in families, but Amy is clearly the driver in this situation. Her devotion to her skanky husband is kind of odd and her lack of boundaries is very disturbing, but it’s her choice. She has an addictive personality and until SHE realizes it, nothing is going to change.

    As for dad, he needs to take care of himself. And for you haters, dealing with an unstable addict is no picnic, so please desist with the mean comments. It’s not snarky or funny just mean.

  11. saintdevil says:

    Spike, noones saying that her addiction is hereditary.

    But her addiction, her self destructive behaviour and her bad taste in men may very well be the product of her childhood.

  12. geronimo says:

    Agree with Spike. Amy’s mistress of her own downfall, nothing to do with her childhood or upbringing blah blah blah. It wasn’t until she hooked up with waste-of-space Blakey that she really got into drugs. Addiction to Blake is her real problem.

    And Amy’s father has been nothing but supportive all the way through, understanding that he can’t force her to stop doing what she’s doing, but never giving up on trying to find ways to help her. He’s no enabler. Not surprised he’s had a stress-overload.

  13. boomchakaboom says:

    Agreed, Spike. What IS with all the Amy-Dad bashing? I can’t believe someone would suggest the man should hit a gym, as if perfect physical fitness would negate the stress of being Amy’s father. All those families on “Intervention” should feel their fair share of the blame for their kids’ addictions as well, I suppose. Harsh.

  14. saintdevil says:

    He was the one who told her she didn’t need rehab back in the day when it might have done some good.
    Very supportive.

  15. Nucifera says:

    I think that’s pretty sad and it should be a wake up call for her.

  16. geronimo says:

    Um, saintdevil, not sure using a line from a song can be used as evidence of her father being unsupportive. Just saying’.

  17. saintdevil says:

    Well, but seeing an old interview where he said just that might?

  18. Truck Drivin' Passerby says:

    Lord A. Mercy, I’d NEVER thought I’d say it, but I’m disgusted with some of the posters poking fun at Mitch’s weight. MAYBE, just maybe, worrying whether or not his daughter would see the next day would MAKE JESUS DRINK, let alone eat. Dayum, some of you are cold-blooded.

    Considering a husband, of whom she thinks is leaving prison next week, pressure to alleviate her career-damaging substance abuse, she isn’t shown tearing her hair out and tearing her clothes, doesn’t mean she isn’t concerned about her dad. Look at the recent Splashnewsonline.com pics (about 2 days ago) of Winehouse, she’s just visited her dad, and she looked sad and concerned.

  19. Truck Drivin' Passerby says:

    It’s amazing that Mr. Winehouse has ONLY turned to food, in spite of his daughter’s condition. Give the dude a break ya’ll.