Amy Winehouse’s dad Mitch was left devastated last month after unsuccessfully suing two of her pals for selling some of the star’s belongings.
But now Amy’s closest friend, fellow singer Tyler James, has revealed he plans to auction off more items which were once owned by the late superstar.
Last month the High Court ordered Mitch to pay almost £1million in legal fees after he lost his case against Amy’s stylist Naomi Parry and her pal Catriona Gourlay.
Both women insist they were either given or loaned the items they sold by Rehab singer Amy, and had not stolen them — as Mitch claimed.
And Tyler told how he had been upset when his own Amy auction had to be cancelled after Mitch called in the lawyers.
Handwritten song lyrics and Amy’s red bowling shirt were among the lots he had planned to sell at auction.
Tyler told me: “I’ve been through hell. I just couldn’t deal with it.
“Sotheby’s explained to me that due to Mitch’s lawyers contesting ownership, they couldn’t go ahead with the sale and that I needed a lawyer. I felt as if I had done something wrong.”
Tyler and Amy met at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and lived together for several years until her death from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in 2011.
Tyler — who appeared on The Voice UK in 2012 — now hopes to restart plans for his own auction, saying that last month’s High Court ruling “changes everything”.
He said: “I loved Amy more than anyone else in the world.
“I supported her through all the years of drug addiction, self-harm . . . you name it. I wanted to protect her.
“We had been through so much together, and nothing can take away what we shared — not possessions.”
Of the previously cancelled auction, he said: “I don’t know why he [Mitch] stopped it. He knew how much Amy meant to me.
“Shortly after she passed away, we went to Amy’s place and there were two pillows on her bed. He gave me one of them.”
Of Naomi and Catriona’s recent court victory, Tyler added: “I don’t speak to the girls much any more, but I’m really pleased for them.
“But maybe — and this sounds selfish — I’m much more pleased for myself. I haven’t decided what to do yet, but I will be ringing Sotheby’s.”
October marks two decades since the release of Amy’s second — and most successful — album, Back To Black.
Something tells me fans will be lining up to bid on whatever treasures Tyler has.
It’s Paris fashion chic . . .
No fashion is tutu much for Paris Hilton as she poses in this striking mini-dress from a new collection she has helped design.
The socialite has teamed up with Betsey Johnson for a new range, which is launching this week to celebrate the US designer’s 84th birthday.
This white bow dress costs $119 – around £88 – and it sounds like they had a hoot designing it.
Paris told People mag: “We had the best time brainstorming together, playing with looks at fittings, and making TikToks on set.
“She has this magnetic energy that lights up the room, and getting to create something with her has been such a dream.
“She is just as fun, original and full of personality as her clothes, and she brings so much creativity into everything she does.”
Rihanna doesn’t lack drive
Rihanna had a full-circle moment as she took her kids to the home she grew up in – but they didn’t look too impressed.
She shared photos on Instagram of herself with sons RZA and Riot, as well as daughter Rocki, outside the modest property in Barbados.
The street was originally named Westbury New Road but was renamed Rihanna Drive in 2017 – and her childhood crib is now a tourist attraction.
The Umbrella singer wrote: “One minute I feel like that kid from Westbury. The next minute I’m bringing my own kids back to ‘Rihanna Drive’. Trippy how life works!”
Julie hangs up her ‘Princess’ crown
She made two of the most famous movie musicals in Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music, but Julie Andrews’ days on screen are definitely over.
The Surrey-born star, now aged 90, announced she has retired from her acting career, but will still pursue other creative paths.
It means she will not star in Princess Diaries 3 – currently in development – after playing Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the 2001 original and 2004 sequel opposite Anne Hathaway as Princess Mia.
Explaining how she passed up the chance, she said: “I think I’m retired, really, would be about the best description for that. The film’s team asked me all last year if I would be keen to do it.
“It was very, very hard to say no, but I did because I felt I had a wonderful ride, and this one would flourish very well and wouldn’t need Granny going in there at my age.”
Julie’s last on- screen role was in the children’s Netflix series Julie’s Greenroom.
In a separate interview, she added of Princess Diaries 3: “I’m not going to be in it. I think the story is slightly different, and I’m not quite sure how they’re dealing with that.
“But it’s too late for me to do it.”
Be a prop star at sale
Pop culture fans can bag themselves something special as Propstore is putting on one of the biggest-ever auctions of signed memorabilia.
More than 1,700 film, TV and music props will be up for grabs, including a 1997 Spice World T-shirt signed by the Spice Girls, and a Back To The Future poster signed by Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and other cast members.
Other notable lots include a replica sword from The Bodyguard autographed by Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and a vinyl LP from the cult movie Labyrinth, signed by one of its stars, David Bowie.
Before the live auction, which will run from August 26 to 29, you can see the full list of lots for yourself at propstoreauction.com.
Frankie’s binge too far
Who said the world of pop music was full of boozy antics?
S Club Juniors and The Saturdays star Frankie Bridge has revealed she’s just had her first hangover – years after her music career ended.
Speaking on the Bottoms Up podcast, she admitted: “I’m not a massive drinker. I’m a massive lightweight. I actually just had my first proper hangover last week – at the age of 37.
“It was honestly the worst day of my life and I was so pathetic, I cried. I washed my hair and then I couldn’t brush it so my friend Leah had to brush my hair for me and I was like, ‘This is a new low’.”
It came on the last day of her holiday after a night drinking mojitos, but she added: “I was fine by the time I got home and went in the gym.”
Trust me Frankie, if you were still able to go to the gym, you would never want to experience my hangovers.
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree says another reunion is a “question of when rather than if”. The band last played a gig two years ago, and he said: “I seem to remember us at Heathrow, saying, ‘We’ll do that again’. That’s my take.”
Spotify fake alert
Spotify is going to start flagging AI artists so that listeners know if they are getting computer-generated rubbish.
The streaming platform said fake acts’ profiles will be labelled “AI personas” and their music will be excluded from recommendations via its algorithm.
It’s hoped the crackdown will deliver a boost to real musicians and prevent artificial acts from taking over.
Spotify said: “True artist-fan connection can only be built on a foundation of trust and authenticity.
“In music, that means listeners need to be able to trust that the artist behind the music is who they say they are.
“That’s more essential than ever in the age of generative AI.” Good for them.
Country twist for ‘rock’ star
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson showed off his vocals in Moana and its sequel, as well as in the new Disney live-action remake.
Now the hardman actor is eyeing a career as a singer – by getting into country music.
The former wrestler said: “Music has always been such an anchor for me, and very specifically in genres that I love, like traditional country music.
“We’re exploring that now. I’ve reached this point in my life and career where, honestly, when I wake up in the morning I swing my legs out of bed, and whatever the thing is that I’m doing, I wanna feel like I’m just running towards it.
“And the most gratifying things we do are when it’s for us, because we have enough pressure to deliver for so many other entities.”
Country music is on the rise, with US singer Luke Combs playing three sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium last month, while Taylor Swift went back to her country roots for her Toy Story 5 soundtrack single I Knew It, I Knew You, which topped the charts.
But Dwayne will be keen not to follow in Hollywood star Will Smith’s footsteps. Last year, he released his comeback album, Based On A True Story – but it sold just 268 physical copies in the UK in its first week.
I have faith The Rock won’t settle for that type of knockout.