Mitch Winehouse pays tribute to Amy: "Goodnight my angel, sleep tight"
Mitch Winehouse paid a final tribute to his daughter Amy Winehouse at her funeral today, telling her: "Goodnight my angel, sleep tight, mummy and daddy love you ever so much".
Mitch Winehouse, the father British singer Amy Winehouse, arrives at Golders Green Crematorium in London Photo: REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
2:49PM BST 26 Jul 2011
In his moving speech, the 60-year old paid tribute to Amy's sense of humour and 'fantastic recovery', telling stories from her childhood.
He said that she had been the happiest she had been for many years, and was looking forwards to a shared future with boyfriend Reg Traviss.
He said that he spoke to her minutes before he set off for New York - where he was when news of the 27-year-old's death broke - and that he spoke to her 'three times a day' while he was there.
At the end of the service, Amy's favourite song, 'So Far Away' by Carole King, was played and Mitch encouraged guests to sing along.
The first song Amy and Mitch sung together was another King hit 'You've Got A Friend'.
Family spokesman Chris Goodman said: "So Far Away was her favourite song. Mitch encouraged people to sing to it which they did.
"There were plenty of anecdotes. There were prayers, meditation, Mitch's eulogy and then more prayers.
"Mitch was funny, he told some jokes about her childhood and how headstrong she was.
"A lot of the family members recognised the stories and laughed along. Mitch stressed many times that she was happier now than she had been in many years. He spoke a lot about her fantastic recovery."
Asked if her boyfriend Reg Traviss had been mentioned in his words, he said: "Mitch paid tribute to a lot of people in her life. He said that she was very much looking forward to their future together."
Asked how Amy's mother Janis and older brother coped during the service, he went on: "There were a lot of tears. They were emotional. It was happy and it was sad."
The service, in both Hebrew and English, was lead by Rabbi Frank Hellner.
One guest, Alfie Ezekiel, who knows Mitch from their love of football, described his friend's eulogy as "very moving."
The 55-year old from Loughton, Essex, said: "Mitch gave a very good eulogy. He managed to get through it, he did very well considering.
"He said everything, but I don't want to go into detail. His last words were 'goodnight to my angel.
"The atmosphere was joyful, it celebrated her life and it was also moving.
"Mitch was trying to give a joyful account of Amy's life. He said she was very healthy and very satisfied and happy.
"Janis was fine. She didn't do a eulogy but she was mentioned in it and she was fine."
Another mourner, who did not want to be named, said: "It was a wonderful tribute to her life. Mitch spoke about things that Amy did, that she had a wonderful sense of humour."
Another friend, who paid tribute to the 'extraordinary' community who supported Amy, added: "It was very moving. It was full of details about her and the family's forbears. Mitch said she would be carried in people's hearts.
"He spoke to her minutes before he set off for America and they were in contact three times a day, always, while he was there.
"It is a complex situation. He is supported by this extraordinary community from north London who knew Amy from when she was born. There is this extraordinary soul that the community has."
Mr Goodman, who said the service has been attended by around 100 friends and family, explained that Amy's grandmother, who she had been very close to, was also cremated at Golders Green and this was why the family had made the decision to cremate her in the same place.
He said: "It is part of the family tradition to cremate them. There was no music apart from the hymns. It was a very traditional Jewish funeral.
"Mitch did deal with the events leading up to her death but I will deal with that later. He wants to set the record straight."
Friends and family were handed a card with a simple black and white picture of the singer, on the back of which were the details of a Shiva - a Jewish week-long mourning period- which will start later today.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/cel...te-to-Amy-Goodnight-my-angel-sleep-tight.html
just *TEARS* I'm still shocked no matter what. I was just thinking to her yesterday & tweeted her. I even listen to her songs yesterday.
