LONDON - Amy Winehouse will not be performing at this year's Grammy Awards because her request for a visa has been turned down by the U.S. Embassy, her publicist said Thursday.
"Amy has been progressing well since entering a rehabilitation clinic two weeks ago and although disappointed with the decision has accepted the ruling and will be concentrating on her recovery," the Outside Organization, which counts the troubled retro-soul sensation among its clients, said in an e-mail.
The statement didn't say why her application had been rejected.
The U.S. Embassy in London declined to comment late Thursday. No one answered the phone at the Outside Organization.
The Outside Organization said in the e-mail that Winehouse - who shot to fame with the autobiographical single "Rehab" - was disappointed but had been treated well by embassy staff.
One possible reason for the lack of a welcome mat may be a drug charge last year in Norway.
Winehouse and husband Blake Fielder-Civil ran into trouble in October when they were arrested in Bergen on charges of marijuana possession. They were released after paying fines of $715 each.
Her lawyer later said Winehouse was appealing the fine because she didn't understand that under Norwegian law, accepting a fine is the same as pleading guilty, which could have serious consequences when she was seeking to enter the U.S.
The 24-year-old singer and her acclaimed "Back to Black" album are nominated in six categories at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Her potent blend of blues, jazz, pop and soul has won praise from critics and fans, but Winehouse has become as famous for her chaotic personal life as for her music.
Since the album's U.S. release last year, she has cancelled a slew of appearances amid reports of drug use.
Last month, The Sun newspaper ran still images from a video that it claimed showed Winehouse inhaling fumes from a small pipe. The images were said to have been filmed during a party at her London home.
Shortly thereafter, Winehouse entered a London rehabilitation centre, and has been questioned by police.
Fielder-Civil is in jail awaiting trial on charges of assault and lying to police. He's accused of attacking a pub landlord and later conspiring with the landlord to have him withdraw as a witness at the trial.
One way or another, her appearance at the Grammys was widely anticipated, although some speculated a performance could be bad for her career if it wasn't up to snuff.
"I don't think it'd be good. I think she just needs to rest and get better," MuchMusic VJ Leah Miller said recently.
The often-addled rocker paused, then added: "Apart from that, I have got nothing to say to the b****." I love that!