AMY WINEHOUSE DEAD : WHO ?

I read that a so-called singer named Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in London. Ms Winehouse, aged 27, had apparently 'struggled with drink and drug addiction' and had spent time in recent months undergoing rehabilitation.

Whether or not Ms Winehouse could sing is a matter for debate; that her lifestyle as portrayed in the press was pretty foul seems beyond dispute. That she was someone who made a substantial amount of money but, through ignorance or stupidity, wasted her life is indisputable.

She is not the first so-called 'star' to have ended her days in such fashion and she will not be the last. The difference between her and some of those who have preceded her, most notably the truly great Billie Holiday, is that they had shown real talent. Ms Winehouse will have been forgotten, completely, within a decade, if not much sooner.

LUCIAN FREUD ; RIP

The death of Lucian Freud at the age of 88 is, without doubt, an event to be noted.

This grandson of the psycho-analyst, Sigmund Freud, was a man who had gained enormous regard during his lifetime and, no doubt, the value of his art will multiply now it is known that there can be no more. I have to admit that I am no art connoisseur and I find Freud's paintings a little unsettling, to say the least. Nonetheless, I also find his art somewhat compelling and realistic; his subjects are portrayed in all their gory detail, no warts or wrinkles omitted.

I wouldn't want to hang any of his pictures on my walls but I think I can see why others would pay serious money to do so on theirs. The man was an artist of genuine ability and talent and his works will survive the test of time, far more so than some of the abstract nonsense of other so-called artistic greats.