On July 23, 2011, music fans the world over lost an amazing artist when British singer Amy Winehouse passed away.

Unfortunately, her short-lived success ended. Winehouse died in her north London home around 4p.m. on July 23, 2011. She was said to have passed away from accidental alcohol poisoning.

Winehouse’s fans were shocked upon hearing the news of her death. Millions mourned as they surrounded  her home, and fans also paid tribute at the Hawley Arms pub in Camden, once a favourite joint of the pop star. It’s been almost  6 years since the death of the talented singer, who would’ve been 33 today.

However, despite her passing, Winehouse’s  art continues to impact millions of lives today. With many  new up and coming artists crediting the superstar as a major influence, it just feels right to  honor Winehouse through recalling all of the wonders she left on us, her fans.

According to Biography.com, Winehouse was born in Southgate, London, England to Mitchell Winehouse, a taxi driver, and Janis Winehouse, a pharmacist. Winehouse’s Jazz influence came  at an early age from her uncles who were professional jazz musicians, her grandmother who was a singer, and her parents who often played and sang jazz music. At the age of 14, Winehouse discovered a love and passion for singing and performing. At this age, she began playing guitar and writing her own music, exploring  her own world of soul and jazz music.

At the age of 16, one of Winehouse’s close friends, Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R person and, in 2002, Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller’s 19 Management. After being signed, Darcus Beese, an A&R representative, heard one of her demos accidentally and later found out who she was. Beese introduced Winehouse to Nick Gatfield who was the Island head and immediately signed her to Island, a major label in England.

On October 20, 2003, Winehouse released her debut album, Frank, which had a mix of jazz, pop, soul and hip-hop. The debut single on the album, “Stronger Than Me,” earned the new artist an Ivor Novello award and the entire album also hit Double Platinum status.She was nominated for  two BRIT awards including Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Act while her album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Things were starting to go uphill for the singer, but all of the fame did bring some misfortunes to the artist.

Winehouse developed an addiction to drugs. She developed the “unstable party girl” name and experienced  a series of episodes where she showed up to events too drunk to perform. She was also with her then-spouse, Blake Fielder, who admitted that he introduced Winehouse to  hard-core drugs. The couple’s relationship was claimed to be unstable, according to Biography.com, having numerous public arguments that resulted in fistfights.

In 2006, Winehouse’s management company finally suggested that Winehouse enter rehab for alcohol abuse. Instead, she dropped the label and created her second completed piece of artwork, the critically acclaimed album Back to Black (2006). The song “Rehab,” which talked about her refusal to enter rehab for alcohol abuse, became a Top 10 hit in the U.K. and got her another Ivor Novello award for best contemporary song. The album was a huge accomplishment, winning the artist a BRIT award for Best Female Solo Artist and a BRIT nomination for Best British Album in 2007. She also won five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year and became the first British singer to win five Grammy Awards and also tied with Beyonce for the record of the most Grammy wins by a female artist in a single night.

She is also a part of the “27 club,” the colloquial name given to a group of influential rock musicians that died at the young age of 27. People on that list include Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jean Michel Basquiat, and several other  young artists who helped  shape the artistic world.

Winehouse is still among us spiritually. Her soulful music still plays through the phones, computers, and houses in many lives today. People today still get inspiration from her work of art, and her music will be her legacy for as long as this world goes round.