Almost two years after Amy Winehouse‘s death, the British singer’s brother has come forward to say her struggle with substance abuse was not to blame for her untimely demise.

Speaking to U.K. magazine The Observer as the “Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait” exhibit opens at London’s Jewish Museum, Alex Winehouse said his sister’s struggle with bulimia is what led to her death.

“She would have died eventually, the way she was going, but what really killed her was the bulimia,” Alex Winehouse, 33, said. “Had she not have had an eating disorder, she would have been physically stronger.”

The singer’s brother said he believed Winehouse’s system was “weakened” by the self-induced overeating and vomiting pattern, as he described it — a behavior she picked up as a teenager from friends who “were all doing it.”

“They stopped doing it, but Amy never really stopped,” he said. “We all knew she was doing it but it’s almost impossible [to tackle], especially if you’re not talking about it.”

Amy Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27. The British singer was most noted for winning five Grammy awards for her hit album “Back to Black.”

A second coroner’s inquest on Jan. 8 found that Winehouse died of accidental alcohol poisoning. The first inquest, performed in October 2011, was thrown out after the original coroner’s qualifications were questioned.

According to Alex Winehouse, the “Rehab” singer’s foundation — run by her father, Mitch Winehouse — contributes to charities focused on eating disorders.

“I just want to try to raise awareness of bulimia. It’s a real dark, dark issue,” he added.