Bulimia Killed Amy Winehouse: Brother

In his first full interview, Amy Winehouse's brother Alex reveals what he thinks really killed the singer: bulimia. She began suffering from the eating disorder in her late teens and was never able to free herself from it, he tells the Guardian. "We all knew she was doing it, but it's almost impossible [to tackle], especially if you're not talking about it. It's a real dark, dark issue," he says. "She would have died eventually, the way she was going, but what really killed her was the bulimia ... I think that it left her weaker and more susceptible. Had she not had an eating disorder, she would have been physically stronger."

He also recalls the time his "really drunk" sister ruined his 30th birthday party. "She was head-butting people, but she's only little, she's tiny, so it's like swatting away a fly, but it was no good. I had a go at her, threw out some home truths," he says. "The problem with being [famous] is—how many people tell you 'No'?" The interview comes as a London museum prepares to open an exhibit, co-curated by Alex, on Winehouse and her family. (More Amy Winehouse stories.)