Bruno Mars, Russell Brand Remember Amy Winehouse at VMAs

Amy Winehouse was deeply remembered and missed at the MTV Video Music Awards. Although the winner of the 2007 Brit Award for the Best British Female Artist never made it to the VMAs in her life time, her friends and fans paid tribute to her on Sunday, a month after the Rehab singer's death.

She was a mate of mine and tragically this year we lost her. First time I met her, she was kind of like a daft, dopey person, just wandering around a little bit crazy, like a lot of people who are drawn to big cities with a peculiar, unknowable talent, Russell Brand, Amy's close friend, said, according to a report by MTV.

Brand further said that though Winehouse seemed like an ordinary girl at first, once he watched her perform, he was convinced that she was a rare talent. This is not just another London chancer, not just another person milling about waiting to be famous, he said. What is this incredible sound? This timeless sound like a roar from the guts of humanity? The kind of voice that Billie Holiday sung with, the kind of voice that Ella Fitzgerald sung with.

Brand, like Winehouse too had a troubled past with alcohol.

Singer Tony Bennett paid homage to Winehouse, describing her as a true jazz artist, and shared some never-seen-before video footage of him and Winehouse recording Body and Soul at London's Abbey Road Studios for his yet to be released Deuts II album. He said, he too recognized the unmatched talent in Winehouse. The Body and Soul Bennet/Winehouse single will be released by Columbia Records on Sept. 14, which would have been Winehouse's 28th birthday.

The VMAs evening saw Bruno Mars perform a rendition of Valerie, a song Winehouse covered for friend and producer Mark Ronson's 2007 album Version, CBS reported.

Our family is honored that the VMAs are giving Amy this wonderful tribute. We know that Amy's performance of 'Rehab' at the MTV Movie Awards played an important part in Amy's worldwide success, CBS News quoted Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, as saying.

Winehouse, known for her powerful voice and hits like Rehab, and Back to Black died on 23^rd July 2011 at the age of 27, in her London apartment. The cause of her death still remains a mystery though it is believed that she died of some kind of overdose. According to an announcement by Winehouse's family spokesman on Tuesday, toxicology tests showed no illegal drugs in the singer's system when she died. The tests showed alcohol was present, the spokesman added, but it has not yet been determined whether it played a role in her death, CBS news reported.