Amy Winehouse statue unveiled in London

The parents of Amy Winehouse were joined by dozens of fans in London on Sunday for the unveiling of a life-size statue dedicated to the late singer.

The event coincided with what would have been the star's 31st birthday.

"It's a day of incredibly mixed emotions ladies and gentlemen," said Mitch Winehouse, the singer's father. "They don't put statues up to people that are with us anymore, so it kind reinforces the fact that physically she's gone. But spiritually, she'll never leave us."

The statue has been sculpted in the singer's likeness, complete with her signature beehive hairdo.

"The design for me as the artist, the design process starts with understanding the person," sculptor Scott Eaton said at the unveiling. "And in Amy's case there's all the things that everybody knows of photos from Amy Winehouse, but very few people know her personally."

Eaton added, "And so it's capturing the obvious like the beehive, eye makeup, things that are very familiar. Beyond that, it's understanding from the family and the friends, her personality her attitude, her strengths and her weaknesses and her vulnerabilities."

Amy Winehouse shot to fame in the mid-2000s thanks to her deep soulful voice, heard in hits like "Rehab" and "I'm No Good."

Winehouse, who famously battled substance abuse and alcoholism for much her adult life, died at her Camden, England, home in 2011. She was 27.

Toxicology findings eventually revealed that she had died from accidental alcohol poisoning.

The Amy Winehouse Foundation was later set up by her family to help educate youth about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.