Amy Winehouse‘s father has accused two of the late singer-songwriter’s former friends of selling and profiting from her personal belongings.
The High Court heard yesterday (Monday December 8) that former stylist Naomi Parry and friend Catriona Gourlay allegedly sold over 150 of the late singer’s items at major auctions in the United States in 2021 and 2023.
Lawyers for Mitch Winehouse, who administers the late singer-songwriter’s estate, told the court the pair failed to inform him they were selling the items and he is seeking more than £700,000.
Henry Legge KC said in written submissions that the items included a silk mini-dress worn by the star during her final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2011 which were auctioned for $243,000 (£182,000) in 2021, according to The Times.
Other items included boots Winehouse was photographed wearing on the cover of her first album, ‘Frank’, in 2003 which sold for $19,200 (£14,386) and a pair of blood-stained ballet shoes Winehouse was photographed carrying, which sold for about $4,000 (£2,997).
The barrister said: “Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed from Mr Winehouse the fact that they were auctioning the items consigned by them to the 2021 auction and that they were claiming ownership of those items.”
He went on to say 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”.
Both women then took part in a second auction in May 2023.
Mr Winehouse told the court: “I assume that, being so close, Amy would have given them some things, but 150 items, I just cannot believe it.”
Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay denied the claim, arguing the items were either already owned by them or were gifted by the singer during their friendship.
Beth Grossman, Ms Parry’s lawyer, said: “Both defendants contend that the vast majority of the disputed items were in their possession from before Amy’s death in 2011, and in many instances from years before her death.
“Moreover, each defendant alleges that a number of disputed items had, in fact, always belonged to them and had only ever been loaned by Amy.”
In written submissions on behalf of Ms Gourlay, barrister Ted Loveday, said that his client “believed, and still believes, that the sale of the items is ‘what Amy would have wanted’”.
Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27 on July 23, 2011 at her Camden home due to alcohol poisoning.