It’s been eleven days since singer Amy Winehouse passed away on July 23 in what will likely be ruled an overdose of drugs and/or alcohol, though you wouldn’t know it by all the news stories still being written about her death and all the tributes to her popping up on YouTube. And if you look in the comments section of all those stories and videos, you will see hundreds, if not thousands, of some variation about how Amy’s death is such a tragedy.

And those comments bug me. A lot. I hadn’t planned on blogging about Amy’s passing, but I just have to address all those people who have left such comments.

There was nothing tragic about Amy Winehouse’s death. Nothing at all.

Don’t get me wrong. It is a shame that Amy died. But just because it’s a shame that she died doesn’t mean her death was a tragedy.

Adding the word “tragic” to the word “death” is meant for people whose death was beyond their control. Being killed by a drunk driver is a tragic death. Losing your battle with breast cancer is a tragic death. Dying after getting food poisoning is a tragic death.

Deliberately taking your own life by walking out in front of a bus does not equal a tragic death.

And that is, in essence, what Amy did. She repeatedly risked her life by walking out in front of the bus. It was only a matter of time before the bus finally hit and killed her.

Yes, her death was a shame. But her death wasn’t tragic.

Instead, the tragedy occurred years ago when Amy chose the path her life would take.

Yes, addiction to alcohol and drugs is a disease. But it’s a disease that can be completely avoided by simply never taking a drink or doing drugs. And it’s a disease that can be overcome if you do find yourself afflicted.

But Amy made her decision about overcoming her addictions a long time ago. “Rehab,” the song that she is probably most famous for, wasn’t just simply a song. It was her statement, her anthem. Rehab wasn’t for her. She didn’t have the time. She didn’t think she could learn anything. Most of all, she didn’t feel like she had a problem to begin with.

I don’t know if Amy ever truly realized she had a problem. She did go to rehab one last time in May, though reportedly stopped at a store on the way to get some alcohol. And she was out in time to give what would be her last performance, a concert in Belgrade that saw her come out on stage clearly high and/or drunk out of her mind. It was a concert that saw her eventually being booed off the stage.

And that’s the other tragedy of Amy’s life. The path she chose to live deprived the world of her smoky, soulful voice. She could have had a legendary career, one that would have seen her eventually rise to take her place alongside great singers like Lena Horne and Ray Charles. Instead, Amy is being compared to Janis Joplin, another great talent who died at the age of 27 and who could have had an amazing career if she had lived.

Amy’s death isn’t a tragedy. It was simply the end result of a tragic life.