The love rival of singer Amy Winehouse, who shared two children with her ex-husband, suffered an ‘unnatural’ death, an inquest has heard.
Sarah Aspin, 47, began dating Blake Fielder-Civil in 2011, after he split from Winehouse following a tempestuous two-year marriage.
Ms Aspin, who had two children with Mr Fielder-Civil, was found dead at home, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on February 7.
Area Coroner Oliver Longstaff told Wakefield Coroner’s Court that a toxicology report found Ms Aspin’s body had levels of methadone, dihydroceine and zopilcone in ‘a combination of concentrations likely to have contributed to her death’.
Methadone is used to manage heroin addiction, zopiclone is a sleeping pill, and the other two drugs are powerful pain killers.
The court heard that Ms Aspin was single and unemployed at the time of her death.
She was found ‘unresponsive’ at her home in Primrose Hill Drive, Swillington, by her partner Glen Redhead.
Paramedics were called but Ms Aspin was sadly pronounced dead at 7.05am.
Sarah Aspin, 47, who went on to have a relationship with Winehouse’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, was found dead at her modest council house in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Amy Winehouse met Mr Fielder-Civil in 2005 and the pair embarked on a whirlwind relationship
Mr Longstaff said he is still awaiting a formal cause of death from pathologist Chris Johnson.
He said that Ms Aspin’s death was not ‘natural’ due to the large amount of medication in her system and he adjourned the inquest for further enquiries.
Ms Aspin began dating Mr Fielder-Civil in 2011 after they met in rehab in 2009.
However, their relationship was blighted by his tangled love life with the Back to Black singer.
Ms Aspin famously told Amy to ‘keep her hands off’ Blake – warning her: ‘He is mine and we are a family now.’
Just days later, as Mr Fielder-Civil began a 32-month prison sentence for burglary and a firearm offence, Amy was found dead from alcohol poisoning.
It is understood Mr Fielder-Civil separated from Ms Aspin in 2018.
Ms Aspin’s death was not ‘natural’ due to the large amount of medication in her system, a coroner has ruled
Following Ms Aspin’s death, her eldest daughter paid a tearful tribute on social media.
Sharing childhood pictures and videos of the pair together, Melody-Rose Hampshire wrote: ‘Love and miss you forever and always mum.
‘Rest in eternal peace. Life [is] going to be boring without you in it.’
Ms Aspin’s cousin, Leanne Eastwood, added: ‘Sweet dreams to my beautiful cousin Sarah Aspin. Hope you finally found peace. Till we meet again. Gutted.’
Mr Fielder-Civil began dating the Back To Black singer after they first met in 2005.
They embarked on a whirlwind relationship which would see them marry in Miami in 2007.
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Amy Winehouse’s love rival who shared two children with the singer’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil suffered ‘unnatural’ death at 47, inquest hears