Amy Winehouse died today. Amy always made me sad and a bit uncomfortable. I understand she was struggling with herself and her fame, but what made me sad was the media and fan base's complicity in exacerbating her problems. She became tabloid fodder and those tabloids sold. There was heavy demand for stories of her undoing and photographs of her battles with anorexia and drug abuse. What makes me uncomfortable is the supply side of this equation. I don't know if she ever got a reprieve from the negative attention.

Stories about Amy Winehouse always reminded me of this 2008 Village Voice piece. It is as apt as ever.