Amy Winehouse’s friends have claimed that the late singer would have been ok with them selling personal items relating to the late musician, the High Court has heard
Amy Winehouse “would have been happy” with her pals selling personal items. The High Court heard that the late singer would “not have wanted” Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay to “struggle financially”.
Naomi and Catriona, two of Amy’s closest friends, are facing legal action from the singer’s dad, Mitch, who is acting as administrator of the Back to Black singer’s estate. Lawyers for Mitch, a former cab driver, previously told a trial in London that Naomi and Catriona profited from selling dozens of the singer’s items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023, which he was not informed about and that they did not have the right to sell.
The women are defending the claim and their barristers say the items were either gifts from Ms Winehouse or were already owned by them. Today, Catriona gave evidence at the High Court in London.
In her written witness statement, Ms Gourlay said that Mr Winehouse was giving out his daughter’s clothes to fans outside her flat in Camden, north London, in the days after her funeral. She claimed he was quoted in the press as saying “it was what she would have wanted”.
She said: “On that day, Naomi and I were shocked at how many of Amy’s possessions were being taken by family members. Mitch asked me if I wanted to have anything, but I refused as I told him that I already had plenty of things Amy had given me.
“Mitch is therefore aware that Amy had gifted me many items.” Amy, who tragically died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning in 2011, became a star across the globe following the release of her second album, Back To Black, in 2006.
Before her death, Amy would frequently swap clothes with Catriona, she said in her witness statement. The court previously heard that the 2021 auction catalogue contained 834 items and that the sale raised 1.4 million dollars (£1.05m) for Ms Winehouse’s estate, 30 per cent of which went to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
One item sold by Ms Parry included a silk mini-dress worn by Ms Winehouse in her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which was auctioned for 243,200 dollars (£182,656).
Henry Legge KC, for Mr Winehouse, previously told the court that the singer’s father believed the women had “deliberately concealed” the fact that they were auctioning items.
He said Mr Winehouse believed that all the 834 items in the 2021 auction catalogue were owned by the estate but that the two women were “asserting ownership of over 150”.
The barrister also said that Ms Parry was “instrumental in persuading Mr Winehouse to auction the estate’s items”, but did not tell him that she “stood to gain from his agreeing to do so”.
Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Winehouse said: “I assume that, being so close, Amy would have given them some things, but 150 items, I just cannot believe it.”
Mr Winehouse also denied a suggestion by Ms Parry’s barrister, Beth Grossman, that he was bringing proceedings against the pair out of “petty jealousy”.
The trial before Sarah Clarke KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, is due to continue on January 27.
Source: Mirror
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