The world was shocked by British crooner Amy Winehouse's death back in 2011, but not everyone was surprised when it happened. In a recent interview, Winehouse's brother Alex has opened up about his sister and the situation surrounding her untimely passing.

Alex Winehouse, who was four years older than his sister Amy, recently spoke with The Guardian about some of his sister's bad habits. Among the surprises was the fact that she had been bulimic throughout the entirety of her adult life.

"She suffered from bulimia very badly," he said. "That's not, like, a revelation -- you knew just by looking at her. . . She would have died eventually, the way she was going, but what really killed her was the bulimia. . . I think that it left her weaker and more susceptible. Had she not had an eating disorder, she would have been physically stronger."

Winehouse's death was originally attributed to her wild partying and extreme substance abuse problems. Her brother says that the bulimia started back when Whinehouse was just 17, after she started hanging out with a group of girls that proved to be a bad influence on the singer.

"[They] were all doing it. They'd put loads of rich sauces on their food, scarf it down and throw it up. They stopped doing it, but Amy never really did ... We all knew she was doing it, but it's almost impossible [to tackle] especially if you're not talking about. It's a real dark, dark issue."

In the end, it appears that Winehouse's wild lifestyle and inability to control her urges got the best of her. Despite that, she has been remembered as an incredible, soulful singer and one of the greatest vocalists of her generation. Alex remembers his sister for all of the flaws and positive attributes that made her human.

"She was annoying, frustrating, a pain in the bum. But she was also incredibly generous, very caring," said Alex. "She was a really good person. And horrible in other respects."