Lady Gaga says Amy Winehouse, who died on Saturday at age 27, was an inspiration to her as she was becoming famous.

While Gaga never actually met the young singer, she is heartbroken over her loss.

"I was with Lady Starlight... in Duane Reed in New York City, we were shopping for eyelashes and glue... so I just remembered I saw her on the cover of Rolling Stone and it was her first cover," said Gaga during an interview on Omaha, Nebraska's 94.1 FM, as quoted by the Celebrity Cafe. "I always felt kind of like an outsider -- in pop music, and just from high school and I remember [Lady Starlight] looked over at me and said, 'If she can do it, you can do it… I always felt like Amy had opened a door for girls like me who didn't fit that exact real pop mold.

"She was really special… she's gonna be greatly missed."

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