Bryan Adams had a close friendship with Amy Winehouse (Picture: Getty)

Bryan Adams has detailed his friendship with late star Amy Winehouse.

The Canadian musician and singer-songwriter, 64, has revealed he ‘tried to help’ Winehouse before she tragically died in July 2011 at age 27.

Before dying, the Rehab hitmaker’s alcohol misuse and drug addiction struggles were well documented, with her death ultimately being caused by accidental alcohol poisoning, with her family believing bulimia was also to blame.

Speaking about his relationship with Winehouse, Adams recalled their first meeting in October 2007.

Adams photographed Winehouse for the Hear the World charity at the time, to raise awareness for hearing impairment.

Having struck up a bond, he later flew her to his Point Lookout villa on the island of Mustique.

Adams first met Winehouse in 2007 (Picture: Dave Simpson/WireImage)

‘I met Amy when I photographed her and we became friends, so I invited her to spend the holidays with my family,’ he told The Sunday Times.

On how he tried to be there for her amid her struggles, he said: ‘Sure, I tried to help her but, you know, it’s got to come from within.

‘I really don’t know what happened with Amy and it is so sad because she was so, so talented and I so admired her individuality massively.’

‘But did I make a difference? I don’t know,’ he concluded.

This isn’t the first time Adams has spoken publicly about his love for Winehouse and her music.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show in 2014, he described her as ‘an enormous talent.’

The singer sadly died in 2011 from alcohol poisoning (Picture: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock)

‘She wrote her own songs, she had a unique voice and she was a great personality.

‘And I think she represents a type of person who exists here in London and her music will live on forever.

‘She was an interesting character and she was very self-determined.’

Fast forward to 2023 and Winehouse’s music lives on in the form of a biopic, set for release in 2024.

Created by StudioCanal, Focus Features, and Monumental Pictures, the highly-anticipated feature film will document Winehouse’s ‘vibrant years living in London in the early aughts and her intense journey to fame’.

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, 56, of Fifty Shades of Grey fame, Back to Black stars Industry actress Marisa Abela, 26.

Marisa Abela stars as the late musician in a new biopic (Picture: Dean Rogers)

Recently released first-look images show the rising star in action, bearing an eery resemblance to Winehouse with her iconic tattoos, beehive hairstyle, piercings, and thick eyeliner.

While hotly-anticipated, the project hasn’t been showered with much love by devout Winehouse fans.

Its creators have been accused of ‘exploiting’ the late music star and deeming it ‘unnecessary’ to revisit the traumatic moments of her life.

Speaking about the biopic, Winehouse’s dad Mitch jumped to its defence from the backlash.

After people noted Abela ‘looks nothing like’ his daughter, Mitch hailed her as a ‘great choice’ for the role.

‘Marisa’s a great choice for the role, even if she doesn’t look exactly like Amy,’ he noted.

Winehouse’s fans have heavily criticised the film about her life (Picture: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for NARAS)

‘Marisa’s a great choice for the role, even if she doesn’t look exactly like Amy,’ Mitch noted (Picture: Fred Duval/FilmMagic)

Pointing to actor Eddie Marsan – who is playing him in the biopic – Mitch said Eddie ‘doesn’t look anything like me either’.

Speaking to TMZ, he insisted there are ‘plenty of Hollywood examples of actors not looking like their real-life characters’ and added ‘too much emphasis is placed on looks’.

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The Rehab singer’s alcohol and drug issues were well documented.