British singer Amy Winehouse will not perform at the Grammy Awards as planned, because she has been denied a visa to enter the United States, according to a statement Thursday.
inehouse, who is being treated for drug addiction, was invited to the Sunday event in Los Angeles, California, after being nominated in six categories, said the statement from the singer's British publicists.
"Unfortunately, her application for a visa to enter the United States of America has been rejected at this time by the American Embassy in London," the statement said.
"Amy has been progressing well since entering a rehabilitation clinic two weeks ago and although disappointed with the decision, has accepted the ruling and will be concentrating on her recovery.
"Amy has been treated well and fairly by the embassy staff, and thanks every one for their support in trying to make this happen," the statement said. "There will of course be other opportunities and she very much looks forward to visiting America in the near future."
Winehouse entered the rehabilitation clinic January 24 after the leak of a home video that showed her smoking something in a glass pipe, just minutes after she is heard saying she had taken six tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Valium.
The Sun, Britain's best-selling daily tabloid newspaper, made the 19-minute video public, saying it had been shot days earlier at Winehouse's East London home.
In a two-minute portion of the video posted on The Sun's Web site, Winehouse walks around her home in a dark tank top, talks to a friend on her cell phone, and talks to the person shooting the video. At one point, she says, "I just took about six Valium."
Sitting on her bed, she then lights a glass pipe and inhales. What was in the pipe was unknown.
Scotland Yard has said it is looking into the the video after receiving it from The Sun.
Winehouse has become famous for her battles with addiction. Her hit song "Rehab" describes her reluctance to enter a rehabilitation center. She previously entered rehab last summer.
In October, Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested at a Norwegian hotel for marijuana possession, and soon afterward fans booed her on stage as she slurred and stumbled her way through her set.
In December, tabloids published pictures of Winehouse with a mystery white powder in her nose. She was also photographed wandering barefoot on a London street, wearing only jeans and a bra and appearing disoriented.
Fielder-Civil is currently behind bars in London on charges of perverting the course of justice following a bar fight.
advertisement
Winehouse's parents have publicly expressed concern that their daughter is succumbing to the pressures of fame.
Winehouse's Grammy nominations include record and song of the year for "Rehab" and best album for "Back to Black."
[source]