LONDON: Amy Winehouse allegedly first attempted suicide at the age of 10, a new book has claimed.
The late singer is said to have tried killing herself after her father Mitch Winehouse left her mother Janis for another woman. Chloe Govan's book Amy Winehouse: The Untold Story claims that Winehouse struggled with her parents' separation, leading to self-harming and taking an overdose of pills.
"Amy went through a lot of pain at her parents' separation," a friend is quoted as saying. "She might have put on a front like she didn't care but to her, seeing her father leave her for another woman was the ultimate abandonment. By 10 she'd had her first spliff and, in some people's eyes, was already on a road to ruin."
The friend who found the star after the overdose said: "I found Amy clutching her stomach in agony. She'd started foaming at the mouth and her eyes were rolling. She'd overdosed on pills because she didn't want to live. She told me she'd wanted to go for a long sleep."
Govan's book also alleges that Winehouse was fascinated with the '27 Club' and hoped to become immortalised in the same way as members Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
Hairdresser Alex Foden - who is said to be responsible for Winehouse's iconic beehive style - said: "Amy always told me she thought she'd die young and that she knew she'd be a member of the 27 Club. I think she almost needed to die a legend."
Camden Council recently announced that it had approved plans for an Amy Winehouse statue in the area. Winehouse died of accidental alcohol poisoning in July 2011.–DS