Fans remembered British singer Amy Winehouse on Friday,
paying tribute outside her former home in the London borough of Camden on the
10th anniversary of her death. Well-wishers showed up at north London property
and left messages, flowers, balloons, and pictures as Winehouse’s songs played
in the background.

“I’ll never grow tired of listening to her music,”
AFP quotes a fan who was wearing a shirt emblazoned with Winehouse’s face and
the words “Queen of Camden”.

“She’s the most talented singer-songwriter of her
generation. Every time I hear her voice, it sends a tingle down my spine,”
the fan added.

The star’s untimely death from alcohol poisoning after years
battling addiction and an eating disorder added her name to the so-called
“27 club”, a group of talented but troubled artists whose lives were
cut short at the same age.

A fan recalled sobbing bitterly when she died.

“Now, after 10 years, it’s my moment to pay my
condolences,” the fan told AFP.

The Jazz After Dark bar in central London often frequented
by Winehouse, is now a portrait gallery in her honour.

“All she ate was chicken wings, meatballs, and tomato
salsa. She never used a knife and fork — her face was full of tomato,”
said the 70-year old owner and artist Sam Shaker.

Paintings of her fill the walls alongside several photos of
Shaker posing with Winehouse, who called him a “second dad” and
invited celebrities including Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and George Clooney to the
premises.

A small VIP lounge furnished with plush red cushions and
sofas gave Winehouse somewhere to shelter from intrusive fans and paparazzi and
work on her music.

“Amy always trusted me to protect her. We were here to
defend Amy with our life,” Shaker said.

“I was dreaming to find a talent like Amy. In 100
years, everybody will remember her songs. She needed someone to look
after her, not use her like a goose laying golden eggs, take her money, abuse
her,” he added.

The 10th anniversary has also provoked introspection over
Winehouse’s memory, which had been shaped by the tabloid narrative surrounding
her drinking, drug use, and relationship with ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil.

“She’s remembered as this drug addict — that’s not how
we should remember her at all. We should remember her for her talent, style,
attitude that no one else dared to have,” a fan said.