Mitch Winehouse cancels tour launch

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch has been forced to cancel the launch of his UK tour after getting ill on holiday.

The taxi driver turned jazz singer was due to perform in Edinburgh tonight but is in hospital with what appears to be a stomach bug.

Winehouse, 60, is currently in hospital and waiting to hear whether he will have to call off more dates in his tour, designed to promote his debut album.

His spokesman said he became ill while on holiday in Spain.

He said: "It appears to be food poisoning or gastroenteritis. His manager is now on his way to see him in hospital."

Winehouse was due to perform tracks from his album Rush Of Love tonight at The Living Room, a piano bar in Edinburgh.

Winehouse recently said that his daughter, who released her last album Back To Black almost four years ago, encouraged him to go into the studio.

"Am I cashing in on it (being Amy's dad)? I suppose in a way, if the album sells, I will be," he said recently.

"But that's not why I'm doing it. I'm doing it because Amy and I spoke about doing an album years ago.

"But you cannot deny the fact that I would not be bringing out an album if I wasn't Amy's dad. It's true."