The parents of Amy Winehouse, along with dozens of fans in London, gathered on Sunday for the unveiling of a life-sized bronze statue dedicated to the late "Rehab" singer.
The Grammy-winner's father, Mitch Winehouse, and mother Janis attended a public ceremony celebrating the singer's 31st birthday, The Associated Press reported. The statue was displayed in Winehouse's former northern London neighborhood of Camden at Camden's Stable Market.
"It's a day of incredibly mixed emotions, ladies and gentlemen," Mitch told reporters, according to the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph. "They don't put statues up to people that are with us anymore, so it kind of reinforces the fact that physically, she's gone. But spiritually, she'll never leave us."
The singer's mother added, "It's just a wow, a definite wow. I am pleased with how the statue turned out because you can see that it's Amy. It is soon but it was beyond our control - events overtook events but we're very proud of it. Camden is Amy's place, it's where she belongs."
Sculptor Scott Eaton featured the singer's trademark beehive hairdo and winged eye-liner. The singer is also wearing a star of David necklace and a red rose in her hair. Winehouse's father was involved in designing the statue, according to the Guardian.
"The design for me as the artist, the design process starts with understanding the person," Eaton said at the unveiling. "And in Amy's case there's all the things that everybody knows of photos from Amy Winehouse, but very few people know her personally. And so it's capturing the obvious like the beehive, eye makeup, things that are very familiar. Beyond that, it's understanding from the family and the friends, her personality her attitude, her strengths and her weaknesses and her vulnerabilities. The hand on the hip, the turn of the head, the grabbing of the skirt, the turned in foot - these are all small elements that contribute to the personality of the piece."
In 2011, Winehouse was found dead at her Camden, England home at the age of 27 from an accidental alcohol poisoning. The singer famously battled substance abuse for years.
"We shouldn't be here but we are, this is the reality and we've just got to make the most of it," Winehouse's father said. "So this statue is part of making the most of it. Getting people to come here, spend some time with Amy and put a flower in her hair and remember her in a very positive way. That for me is wonderful. I'll be coming to visit it all the time. It was difficult to see the sculpture at first but I'm getting used to it. It looks just beautiful."
