Sixties icon Ronnie Spector was a major influence on Amy Winehouse’s sound and visual style. They shared beehive hair, a talent for deep, smoky vocals, and tragically, a taste for trouble as they hit success.
Spector spoke to Rolling Stone about the sadness of seeing her troubled protégé go:
Amy came to my show in London about six months ago, and she was so shy. She was hiding behind somebody, but I could see the hairstyle, and I knew she was there. That was all I needed. When I sang “Back to Black,” I could see the tears in her eyes, and there were tears in mine.
Visit rollingstone.com to hear Spector cover Winehouse’s hit “Back to Black.”
The fourth-largest school district in the country has added gender identity to its antibullying policy.
Officials of Florida’s Miami-Dade County approved the policy on Thursday after years of work by area equality advocates. Nearly 60% of students in Florida are now protected by policy from harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. That means Florida’s fourth in the nation in terms of students covered.
According to Equality Florida, Miami had been one of the few large Florida cities without such a policy. “This is a tipping point for the state, but our work continues until every school district large and small provides these vital protections,” said Stratton Pollitzer, Equality Florida’s deputy director.
Fantastic news coming out of Florida. We need to see changes made at the policy level so schools can be held accountable for the kids who tease on the playground. Bullying is a zero-tolerance offense. Let’s keep momentum going for this to be the norm in every school district in every state.
Amy Winehouse was found dead today in her London apartment. She was 27 years old.
We’ve assembled a photo gallery in tribute to the troubled British soul singer — from shots of her singing at age 15 to her most recent concerts.
RIP. You’ll be missed.
![queersecrets:
[Image: hands sitting atop each other. Text: Therapy has helped tremendously. Still, I’d love someone who understands how it feels to be gay and alone. Anyone in this rural hell. That’s all I want.]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_loq4im5eh91qcpj7wo1_500.jpg)
[Image: hands sitting atop each other. Text: Therapy has helped tremendously. Still, I’d love someone who understands how it feels to be gay and alone. Anyone in this rural hell. That’s all I want.]
Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but Bette Midler has called Lady Gaga’s mermaid character Yuyi a blatant rip-off of Dolores Delago – the wheelchair-bound mermaid alter ego Midler created in 1978.
This isn’t the first time Mama Monster has been accused of taking a little too much inspiration from other artists. To read all of what Midler had to say - and to take a peek at more of Gaga’s famous fashion icons - head over to Rollingstone.com.
BREAKING: The Senate has just confirmed Paul Oetken as a federal judge, the first openly gay man ever to hold this position. Updates.
