Mitch Winehouse says he talks to his late daughter Amy from beyond the grave

The singer died just over three years ago, aged 27

Mitch Winehouse says he communicates with his late daughter, Amy, from beyond the grave.

“She’s in here now saying, ‘Just get on with it, Dad’. I’m always speaking to her, all day, every day,” he said.

“Her passing was a mistake and at first she was very angry and upset — I could feel that — but now she’s more settled.”

Yesterday (23 July) marked the third anniversary of Winehouse’s death, but her father – who is also a singer – says he still feels close to her.

“She’s there all right, I feel her, sense her,” The Sun quoted him as saying.

“She’s standing next to me, every time I go out on that stage.”

The Back To Black singer died of alcohol poisoning, following a period of abstinence, aged 27. She battled with drug addiction during the last few years of her life and her father used to go to extreme measures to prevent her from using.

“I used to pretend I was having a heart attack and fall on the floor to try and stop her,” he said.

“I used to scream and shout and kick the jukebox she had — it’s still got the dents in! But none of that worked.”

Since her passing, her father has established the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which informs young people about drug and alcohol misuse. It also offers support to the vulnerable, including those at a high risk of substance abuse.

“Before she passed I wasn’t very industrious, but now I’m a different person,” said Mitch Winehouse.

“It changed my life. After Amy died, I wanted to do something that mattered, which is how the Amy Winehouse Foundation came about. Who would have thought that three years on we would have achieved so much?

“I know Amy is very proud. She would not have wanted us to wallow in grief.”

Currently, 50 schools across the country are involved in the initiative, but Winehouse still thinks he has a lot to achieve before he gets his message across.

“I am really angry at the apathy of parents in Britain,” he said.

“At one middle-class school, only 20 parents turned up for our first meeting. They seem to think this is something that only happens in poor areas.

“I can understand parents saying to their kids, ‘Oh I don’t want you going to that, Amy Winehouse was a druggie’. But they are wrong. Drug addiction can happen to anyone.”