Amy Winehouse’s death fed the Romantic mythos of artists dying at a young age in a blaze of glory. Dying at 27, she was preceded by other members of the 27 club, including Kurt Cobain and, of course, the holy trinity of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison. Memorable actors have also died at a young age: Natalie Wood, Judy Garland, and James Dean. Poets: Sylvia Plath.

How do fiction writers fare? They seem to hang on for a while. Here is a list, their longevity expressed in Amy Winehouse lifetimes.

Author	Died	Poison	Greatest Literary Achievement	Winehouse Lifetimes
William Faulkner	1962	Alcohol	Parodied in Barton Fink	2.4
Charles Bukowski	1994	Alcohol	Created the character, Henry Chinaski, a fine role model for our youth	2.75
John Cheever	1982	Alcohol, Various Drugs	Featured in an episode of Seinfeld	2.6
Jack Kerouac	1969	Alcohol	Name that was pronounced just like it was spelled	1.75
Ernest Hemingway	1961	Alcohol	Inspiring John McCain to run for president	2.3
Philip K Dick	1982	Amphetamines	Overdosed on Vitamin C	2
Ambrose Bierce	1914	Alcohol	Inexplicably disappeared in Mexico	2.666
William S Burroughs	1997	Heroin	Owned a most unusual typewriter	3.1
Ayn Rand	1982	Speed/Dexedrine	Founded new religion based on book fatter than Bible.	2.85