The legacy of Amy Winehouse on the streets of Camden

Amy Winehouse felt at home and one with herself in Camden Town, a colorful neighborhood just north of central London filled with music venues and bars. But it is also here that she adopted some of the self-destructive behavior that led to her death of alcohol poisoning at the young age of 27.

A plaque opposite Camden Town underground station commemorates Amy's life and legacy. The vinyl-shaped plate joins a number of others on Camden's "Music Walk of Fame," which celebrates local legends such as The Who and Madness. It was unveiled by Winehouse's family last year. During the ceremony, Amy's father, Mitch Winehouse, was visibly moved to tears almost a decade after her death.

There are also numerous informal artistic celebrations of Winehouse, with graffiti of her likeness on several of the colorful walls of Camden Town. Walking around, there's a feeling that Amy Winehouse was local to the area. However, she actually grew up 7 miles (11 kilometers) further north, in the suburb of Southgate.

The picturesque market in Camden reflects the bric-a-brac quality of Amy Winehouse's style: something borrowed, something new, something old and a lot of blues. As an adult, Amy was practically married to Camden, and the locals celebrated their "bride" with a great deal of pride.

This life-sized statue in Camden Market shows off the petite figure Amy had at the zenith of her career and emphasizes her beehive hairdo, which was bigger than her head. Hundreds of people walk past it every day as they look for trinkets in the market. The off-center gaze of the statue makes you wonder what her thoughts might be on all the tourists swarming throughout her beloved Camden.

Jazz was always Amy's first love, even though she later blended hip-hop and reggae into her unique sound. But when she performed at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, she kept things pure. One of her biggest idols was American jazz singer Dinah Washington (1924-63) — another outstanding voice who died young due to substance abuse.

Camden's pub scene was where Amy felt most at home. The Hawley Arms was her favorite spot. Its unique cocktail, the '"Rickstasy" — a potent blend of vodka, banana liqueur, Southern Comfort, and Bailey's — was reportedly Amy's favorite. Another local pub, the Dublin Arms, was another regular haunt. There, she'd sometimes climb over the countertop and help serve drinks and pull pints.

Amy Winehouse' address on Camden Square has never really been a secret, and it continues to serve as a pilgrimage site for her fans today. In fact, it has become quite the tourist attraction: The local government has even had to appeal to visitors to stop stealing street signs like this one after at least 14 such instances were recorded in the years following her death.

Amy Winehouse lived in this house on Camden Square for one year before her death in July 2011; she had only purchased the property in March 2010. Winehouse would often spend days on end inside, locked away from the paparazzi waiting outside her front door. Her uneasy relationship with such fame exacerbated her alcohol abuse, according to her friend and confidante Tyler James.

Even now, fans leave messages on the entrance to the property. The new owners have used opaque plastic to board up the fenced gate from the inside. The honesty of Winehouse's music and life inspired many throughout the world, and some still come to her house and use it as a place to pay their respects to Camden's reluctant icon.

Across the road from her house, fans continue to leave messages and flowers for Amy Winehouse even today. Locals seem to be unperturbed by attention that the square gets. It may even boost local property prices. About 18 months after Winehouse's death, the family sold the property for nearly GBP 2 million (€2.45 million at the time of sale).

The grave of Amy Winehouse is another popular site for fans wishing to feel close to their idol one more time. Some leave gifts such as bottles of booze in her honor. Others think that given the circumstances of her death, this is in poor taste. The Winehouse family have set up a charity in Amy's memory to help youth battling with addiction. It carries the same songbird logo as seen on her grave.