Adele's unfriendly pool encounter with Amy Winehouse revealed
Words by Emma Dooney
Adele was apparently snubbed by Amy Winehouse when they met...
Amy Winehouse apparently wasn't too kind to Adele when they were introduced – despite the Easy on Me singer's 'generous' treatment of the late musical icon.
The English superstars rose to fame in a similar scene back in the mid-noughties, having both attended the BRITS school in London and achieved monumental success early in their careers. Adele has lauded Amy as one of her biggest inspirations on multiple occasions, even crediting the soul singer's 2003 Frank album for motivating her to learn how to play the guitar.
The 33-year-old – who was forced to cancel her Las Vegas show due to coronavirus last month – has also spoken mournfully of Amy's legacy in the past. The Back to Black singer died of alcohol poisoning aged just 27 in July 2011, after years of struggling with addiction and mental health issues. Her untimely passing rocked both the UK and international entertainment world, prompting an outpouring of grief from the icon's global community of fans.
"It's one of the most heartbreaking things of being an artist of never, ever being able to hear one of your favorite artist's voice," she told Apple Music in 2021. She has also said that Amy's death served as a warning tale to prioritize her wellbeing, by forcing her to confront her own relationship with alcohol.
"I got really famous right as Amy Winehouse died. And we watched her die right in front of our eyes," she told Vogue in October 2021. "I've always had a very close relationship with alcohol. I was always very fascinated by alcohol. It's what kept my dad from me. So I always wanted to know what was so great about it."
Unfortunately, it looks like Adele's feelings for her idol weren't exactly mutual. According to the Rehab singer's father, Mitch, Amy wasn't always so kind to the Tottenham native.
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"Adele was so generous towards Amy. Amy, on the other hand, was not generous towards Adele," he told the Daily Mail. "Once, I was playing pool with Amy in Camden Town, and [her] best friend Catriona walks in with Adele. Adele's first album had come out and Catriona said, 'Amy, Adele's come to say hello.' And Amy completely ignored her. She could be a bit like that."
Fortunately, Adele, being the super-duper human that she is, has never let the rejection tarnish her love for Amy.
“Amy paved the way for artists like me and made people excited about British music again whilst being fearlessly hilarious and blasé about the whole thing,” she wrote in response to the news of her death in 2011. “I don’t think she ever realized just how brilliant she was and how important she is, but that just makes her even more charming."
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