Amy Winehouse’s father sues star’s friends for auctioning her clothes for US$970,000
Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay say the late British singer had lent or given them the objects
The father of late British singer Amy Winehouse on Tuesday defended his UK lawsuit against two of her friends after they sold some of her clothes at auction for around £730,000 (US$970,000).
Mitch Winehouse told the High Court in London that Naomi Parry, the star’s former stylist, and her friend, Catriona Gourlay, did not have the right to sell dozens of items in auctions between November 2021 and May 2023.
Lawyer Henry Legge, acting for Winehouse, told the court on Monday, the first day of the trial, that the two women sold 150 objects which had belonged to Winehouse, including dresses which she wore on her last tour in June 2011.
The British singer-songwriter, who enjoyed meteoric global success, died a month later from alcohol poisoning, aged just 27.
Winehouse was a distinctive figure with her beehive hairdo, heavy black eye make-up, multiple tattoos and smoky voice. She shot to international fame with her Grammy Award-winning 2006 album “Back to Black” which included the track Rehab, charting her battle with addiction.
According to court documents, Winehouse believed that any sums collected from the sales organised by Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions would be due to him.