Moviegoers watching the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black have been left intrigued by the fate of her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
The tragic story of Amy Winehouse is a hot topic once again in 2024, 13 years after her drug overdose death, as the "Back to Black" singer received the Hollywood biopic treatment with Marisa Abela taking on leading role duties.
Who Is Back to Black's Blake Fielder-Civil?
Renowned singer Amy Winehouse met production assistant Blake Fielder-Civil in a pub in 2005, kickstarting their four-year relationship.
The couple had an on-and-off relationship over the years but ultimately made things official in Miami in May 2007 when they were married, beginning the only marriage for Winehouse before her 2011 death at age 27.
According to Chron, Fielder-Civil sought a divorce from Winehouse after uncovering her affairs with four different men across his time in prison, during which she was said to have struggled with drug abuse.
The couple was divorced in 2009 after (via The Standard) Fielder-Civil was sentenced to 27 months in prison in July 2008 for assaulting a bar owner, for which he only served 12 months.
Winehouse's struggles with drug abuse that culminated in her overdose death are well-documented, but Fielder-Civil has many of the same difficulties. He went through much of the same addiction struggles, spending time in and out of prison, with some even citing him as responsible for Winehouse's overdose death.
Where Is Back to Black's Blake Fielder-Civil Today?
Going back to Amy Winehouse's death, Blake Fielder-Civil was unable to attend the funeral due to being in prison (via Complex). The report noted how he relapsed and began using drugs again in 2011 and helped his drug dealer break into a home to steal laptops as a favor after owing them thousands of pounds.
One month later, Winehouse passed away, and Fielder-Civil was unable to attend the funeral due to his imprisonment. Instead, he was allowed a small ceremony in the prison chapel with a rabbi present due to her Jewish faith.
While Fielder-Civil was divorced from Amy Winehouse in August 2009, two years before her death, he was left with nothing in the separation.
According to the same interview with Complex, Fielder-Civil received no money from the divorce as he never asked. By 2016, this had left him in a tough position of living in a flat without electricity and relying on a neighbor's phone charger.
At the time of that interview, Winehouse's ex-husband was living with his girlfriend Chrissy, who had recently lost her job, leaving the couple in financial difficulty.
But that wasn't the first post-Winehouse relationship for Fielder-Civil, as he married Sarah Aspin, daughter of former soccer player Paul Aspin, for several years. The couple had two children together before the separation—a son named Jack and a daughter named Lola.
By 2021, Fielder-Civil was in another fresh relationship with Bay Wright and living with her in Leeds, England. According to The Mirror, Fielder-Civil and Wright got engaged in 2021, leaving her friends concerned the relationship had moved too fast; there have been no notable updates on the couple since.
Concerning Fielder-Civil's relationship with drugs, he fortunately confirmed in April 2024 on Good Morning Brian (via The Independent) amid the release of Back to Black that he has been "clean for years."
During the show, he revealed his thoughts on Back to Black, explaining that watching the biopic was “almost therapeutic in a way” and noted that it made him feel seen “in a more accurate representation.”
He said how the biopic made it clear their story "wasn't all about addiction" as their relationship "stated like every relationship does:"
“Not in a sense of being let off the hook or whitewashed, as [has] been alluded to... just in a sense of it wasn’t all about addiction. As much as that might have been the salacious headlines and the paparazzi’s goal, there was addiction, but it was only an aspect. The relationship started like every relationship does.”
He confirmed that actor Jack O'Connell, who plays Fielder-Civil in Back to Black, came to see him before filming the project "just out of respect.”
This came after his time in a medically induced coma in August 2012 from an overdose of alcohol and hard drugs. The overdose left Fielder-Civil "critically ill" with fears he may never awake (via Digital Spy), but he made a full recovery and is still alive in 2024.
Back to Black is streaming on Peacock.
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