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LONDON: No illegal substances were found in British soul singer Amy Winehouse's body, her family said Tuesday, having received the results of toxicology tests on her remains.
Alcohol was discovered in the Grammy award-winning vocalist's system but it could not yet be determined whether it played a role in her death, the Winehouse family said in a statement.
The singer, who laid bare her struggles with drug and alcohol addictions in her music, notably in her biggest hit single “Rehab”, was found dead at her home in Camden, north London, on July 23.
A post-mortem on the 27-year-old's body failed to establish a formal cause of death and the family await the outcome of an inquest in October.
“Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death,” the statement said.
“Results indicate that alcohol was present but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death.
“The family would like to thank the police and coroner for their continuing thorough investigations and for keeping them informed throughout the process. They await the outcome of the inquest in October.”
Her death is not being treated by police as suspicious. A formal inquest opened on July 25 and was immediately adjourned until October 26, allowing the body to be released to her family for her funeral, which took place the following day.
Inquests in England establish the identity of the deceased, and the place, time and cause of death.
Winehouse rocketed to fame after winning five Grammy awards off the back of her 2006 second album “Back to Black”, including the single “Rehab”.
Known for her distinctive, smoky voice, Winehouse's debut album “Frank” was released in 2003 and brought her wide acclaim. It went triple platinum in Britain.
The follow-up, “Back to Black”, was a worldwide smash hit, reaching number one in Britain and number two in the US charts. It went six times platinum in Britain and double platinum in the United States.
She married Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami in May 2007 but they had a tempestuous relationship. He spent part of their marriage behind bars for a vicious attack on a pub landlord and a subsequent attempt to cover it up. They divorced in July 2009.
