Chaka Khan 'I Tried to Save Winehouse'

Chaka Khan desperately tried to save tragic Amy Winehouse as the Rehab hitmaker slipped further into the pit of addiction.

The I Feel For You hitmaker, who battled her own substance abuse issuesin the 1980s, admits she knew Winehouse was heading for an early grave when she saw her at a music festival in the Bahamas in 2009.

She exchanged phone numbers with the British singer and urged her to reach out for help whenever she hit a low point - but her advice was in vain and Winehouse died two years later (11) after a booze binge.

Khan tells Britain's OK! magazine, "The last time I saw Amy was at a music festival in the Bahamas. When I first met her, we hugged like we knew each other all of our lives.

"I loved her, I really loved her. She sat on my lap, like a little girl. I'm saying 'Give me your contact numbers, Amy, because we are going to stay in touch.' "But I knew, when I saw Amy, that she wasn't long for this world.

"You know when you get that feeling? I had that. She was so young and she was rebellious.

"Everybody was telling her to do one thing - and of course, shewas going to do what the hell she wants.

"Yeah, we talked. I said 'Look, we need to get real here, Amy. And I am here for you. If you need somebody to talk to, you call me.'... But shewas so high I was talking to the drugs. I said okay, and that I'd try to keep calling her and get to her and catch her at the moment when she wasready. So I did try and try and try but it never happened".