R.I.P. AMY WINEHOUSE: Queen of Trasher Culture

News that Amy Winehouse likely died from the toxic shock caused by quitting alcohol cold turkey is tragically ironic. Amy had the courage to kiss the trasher lifestyle goodbye on her own terms - not by going to rehab. Had she been in a rehab facility, she could have detoxed gradually under medical supervision and survived.

It breaks my heart to know that the woman of my generation who brought back the soul to our era's plasticky, auto-tuned pop singing, not only died too young and with too few recordings; but so too, that revelations about the cause of her death - which should be a cautionary tale to aficionados of trasher culture everywhere - may scare off other addicts from taking similarly bold leaps of faith to bring their own drug and alcohol vices under control.

If you ain't ready to kick the bucket yet, it would be a damn shame to see ya go... don't be ashamed to ask the folks who love you for help, kids!

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse. Thanks for the good times. You were the greatest soul singer of the millennial generation - and Our Queen of Trasher Culture.