Amy Winehouse remembered at BRIT Awards
DJ Mark Ronson paid tribute after winning the Outstanding Contribution prize
Record producer and DJ Mark Ronson has remembered the late Amy Winehouse as he received the gong for outstanding contribution to music at the 2026 Brit Awards.
Award-winning singer Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27 and inspired a biopic starring Marisa Abela, which was released last year.
Ronson, 50, started his professional relationship with the singer almost 20 years ago when he produced her hit 2006 album Back To Black, and she featured on his cover of Valerie in 2007.
As he accepted his award at the ceremony, Ronson thanked the crowd and said: "It means so many things to get this award."
The London-born musician, who was raised in the US, reminisced on meeting Winehouse and said: "I realised on the way here that on Thursday March 6, it will be 20 years to the day that Amy Winehouse came up to my studio in New York City.
"She came up to the steps and she said, 'I'm here to meet Mark Ronson'. And I said, 'That's me', and she goes, 'I thought you were an old guy with a beard'.
"Anyway, we went upstairs and we talked for four hours and that night we wrote Back To Black, and that day changed my life forever."
Ronson is best known for his collaborations on hit songs such as Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk and Miley Cyrus's Nothing Breaks Like A Heart.
Ronson, who has worked with artists including Dua Lipa, Queens of the Stone Age, Raye and Lily Allen, said he "can't believe" the list of artists he has worked with over his two-decade career.
He continued: "I know the music I made with Amy is the reason that any of them know who I am anyway. That's why I always treasure her voice, her talent and our bond, all of it.
"I just wouldn't be here if it wasn't for some amazing people."
Ronson went on to thank his collaborators, colleagues and his family and the crowd, adding: "You put these songs into your lives. You're the reason any of us are up here. So make some noise for yourselves."
He added: "Every time in a wedding and I hear the song Telephone or I see someone busking Shallow or Valerie in the subway - I can't believe that I've been lucky enough to be a part of songs that mean something to people.
"So I'm so grateful, and thank you so much."
Following his speech, he performed a rendition of his 2003 hit Ooh Wee alongside Ghostface Killah before paying tribute to Winehouse with her hit single Back To Black.
The performance also included a clip of Winehouse talking about Ronson and a rendition of Uptown Funk.
Singer-songwriter Lipa also made a guest appearance while Ronson was on stage, to sing Dance The Night from the Barbie (2023) soundtrack, as well as her single Electricity.
Through his career, Ronson has won a string of awards including nine Grammy awards.
He also received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song Shallow, which he co-wrote with pop star Lady Gaga for the critically acclaimed film A Star Is Born (2018).
Ronson follows in the footsteps of acts including David Bowie, Oasis, Sir Elton John, Robbie Williams and Pink who have previously won the outstanding contribution to music award.