Was she misunderstood? I don't know that she ever honestly had anybody in her corner. That has nothing to do with being understood. She suffered from eating disorders as a teen while her mother thought it was just a phase. Her father was more focused on her career than her well-being. She had relationships with men who, from what I saw, didn't love her as a person, but instead loved that she became a famous person. Her brother, who knew about her bulimia as a teen, stated that it wasn't the drugs and alcohol that killed her, but the binging and vomiting sessions. She resorted to behaviors that provided an escape from all of it. It only got worse as she became well known. She is quoted saying before she was 20 "...if I became famous, I don't know how I would handle that. If I became famous, I would go mad". Where was everyone? Someone could have tried harder. If she were my friend, I certainly would have. (so much easier said than done, right?) Art can be a good outlet for the expression of pain and those things you mentioned: anger, rage, sadness, loss, grief; if an artist chooses a song to express himself or herself, that is a very public art form. On top of their emotions, and making those emotions intelligible and marketable, they have to deal with being in the spotlight, being scrutinized and torn apart for their every single action. Who wouldn't want to escape that? Once you hit fame, you can never go back. You cannot hide, so escape might be the only choice: escape from yourself. Amy had a unique voice, was naturally talented. Her lyrics were poignant. I didn't get into her music until after her death. I enjoy the music that much more now that I know a little bit about her history. She makes The 27 club. It makes sense to me that people living an active life, having to deal with a constant spotlight in their first decade of adulthood, need to find some sort of balance to make it to the next. With so much going on, how is this feasible? How many of us resolve our early hurts in our 20s?