Amy Wnehouse's father beside himself with worry

By Stone Martindale Jul 12, 2008, 19:00 GMT

British singer songwriter Amy Winehouse performs on stage at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, west England, on 28 June 2008. The Glastonbury Festival, a festival of contempory perfoming arts, runs from 27 to 29 June 2008. EPA/FRANTZESCO KANGARIS

All the snide blogger comments aside regarding the deteriorating health and looks of talented singer Amy Winehouse, the young woman has a family that is worried sick for her as they watch their daughter flounder in the press.

Not easy for any parents of grown children, to witness their decline. Especially in the media front and center daily.

Father of Amy, Mitch Winehouse, tells the British press that his daughter has a "small amount" of emphysema in her lungs. "I want people to understand, even if they give her one cigarette they're causing her harm," he told Sky News

"She has got a serious health problem. My biggest fear is that she would die and she won't die from an overdose, she will die from emphysema.

"We would be talking about a very slow and painful death, gasping for air. I would like to say to anybody who would supply her with substances to think about that."

Wnehouse tells Sky News that Amy promises to lay low for a while, and regroup. "She has five gigs that she is contractually obliged to do between now and then, but from September 6th we're not going to be doing any more work. We want her to relax."

He was less forthcoming about Amy's troubled incarcerated addict husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.

"He has promised me that he will make things right when he is out. I'm going to give him the chance to do that. We will give him the benefit of the doubt. He has got to get himself clean.

"It's the last chance saloon if he comes out and they go back to what they were doing before. He's a fit young man and probably go on like that for years, but Amy can't and she needs to understand that."