Amy Winehouse performing at the Dublin Castle

IN this week’s edition we celebrate the life and legacy of Amy Winehouse with a special feature.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the singer’s sad passing at the age of just 27.

Time has simultaneously stood still and flown by. Our reporters here can remember the grief they saw in Camden Square that week in July 2011 like it was yesterday.

Over the years, the team has sometimes been accused of writing about Amy too much. Once, somebody likened our coverage with the way the Daily Express seemed obsessed with Princess Diana.

How can the CNJ, with its tradition and reputation for investigations and hard news be seduced by what some might think of as a celebrity story? It’s easy to explain.

The CNJ has always kept a proud eye out for the rising careers of Camden’s talented residents and Amy – starting off with gigs in places like Bar Solo in Inverness Street – fitted the bill perfectly. Her talent was rare, she was a unique voice.

More than that, she was a famous face who cared about her community.

There are celebrities in this borough who lock themselves away behind expensive doors and you never hear from them or what they could do to help this area or their neighbours.

Amy, from the cafe to the pub, lived and breathed this area.

And that’s where the front page headline on the CNJ 10 years ago came from: Our Amy. So for the people who called her “Amy Wino” or mocked her erratic behaviour in difficult times, we remind these cynics that at the time of her death she was vulnerable because she was working to defeat an addiction. It was a relapse in this hardest of fights that killed her.

It takes a cold heart not to be saddened by her struggle – certainly don’t be fooled into thinking someone you know isn’t vulnerable to addiction. Most significant, and what we really cheer today, is the work of the charity set up in Amy’s name to fight these demons.

Thousands of people have been helped by a Foundation that is determined that young people and women will not suffer in the same way.

That’s not celebrity, that’s real life for too many– we salute these effort

RICHARD OSLEY, EDITOR