THEY were happy and talented schoolmates pictured one bright day in 1997.
Within a few years, two were hugely famous and successful, but while one found happiness and stability, the other saw her life spiral into tragedy.
Amy Winehouse, who died aged 27 on Saturday, was in the year below Swindon-born star Billie Piper at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
Sylvia Young paid tribute to Amy within hours of hearing the news, describing her former pupil as a wild spirit who was her own person.
Like former Bradon Forest pupil Billie, Amy spent her early teens at the theatre school, where she constantly sang and wrote songs.
Her debut album, Frank, brought rave reviews when it was released in 2003, but the release of multi-platinum follow-up Back to Black three years later made her a global star.
Her hit singles included You Know I’m No Good and Rehab, which was to become a bitterly ironic signature tune.
As her fame grew, so did her emotional troubles and dependency on drink and drugs, in spite of several attempts to get clean. A projected comeback tour had to be postponed last month following a disastrous gig in Serbia that saw her booed off the stage after stumbling and slurring through lyrics.
In stark contrast, former classmate Billie Piper, now 28, went from teenage pop sensation, with hits such as Because We Want To and Girlfriend, to even greater success as an actress, notably as Rose Tyler in the revived Doctor Who and lead character Belle de Jour in Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
Talking to the Adver in 2007, she spoke of her own experience with fame, saying: “I didn’t cope very well with it at all.
“I found it a real struggle and it sent me slightly crazy.
“I just knew I had to do something I loved, or I would continue to feel like a charlatan for the rest of my life, being in the wrong career.
“Fortunately for me I have a great family and finally a great circle of friends, who just keep me on the straight and narrow.
“I’m not really interested in the fame. I like working and grafting and trying new things.”
Tributes to Amy Winehouse have poured in from fans and fellow celebrities alike, and a shrine of cards, candles and memorabilia has appeared outside her London home.
