In the end it was a celebration of what had been a magnificent life full of love and music. Around 150 guests turned out to help Amy Winehouse's grief-stricken family give her a fitting send off. So many words have been devoted to stories of the jazz diva's demons.
So at her funeral service the 27-year-old's father Mitch emphasised the postive, peppering his eulogy with anecdotes from her childhood.
After telling mourners that she'd been happy and content recently, he finished: "Goodnight my angel. Sleep tight. "Mummy and Daddy love you very much. "Amy's spokesman Chris Goodman said: "Mitch was funny, he told some great stories from her childhood. "It was a celebration. He stressed many times that she had been more content than she had been in years. Mitch paid tribute to a lot of people from Amy's life." Talking about her on-off boyfriend, film director Reg Traviss, he added: "Mitch said that they were very much looking forward to their future together."
The emotional farewell was followed by a cremation. Shiva - the Jewish ceremony of bereavement - will be observed for two days starting at 5pm today at Schinder Hall in Southgate Progressive Synagogue.Amy's closest friends had arrived for Tuesday's service heads bowed with sorrow, emotion etched all over their faces as they prepared to say their final farewells. Mark Ronson, the producer of her best-selling album Back to Black, looked sombre as he arrived for the service at Edgwarebury Cemetery in Golders Green, North London.
In the wake of the tragedy he described the troubled singer as "his musical soulmate and like a sister". Kelly Osbourne, who like Amy struggled with addiction, carried a white rose in her hand. On hearing the sad news, she was one of the first to express her grief. She tweeted: "I can't even breath right now im crying so hard I just lost 1 of my best friends. "I love you forever Amy & will never forget the real you!" More on the tragic singer
