Russell Brand writes about Amy Winehouse's death: 'Addiction is a serious disease'

Actor and comedian Russell Brand took to his personal blog Sunday to write a letter about his friendship with Amy Winehouse and his own battles with addiction.

Winehouse was found dead at her home Camden Square in northern London at age 27 on Saturday. The cause of the British singer's death is not immediately known.

Brand, a recovering alcoholic and heroin addict, recalled in the post titled "For Amy," the moment he met Winehouse several years ago. "I've known Amy Winehouse for years. When I first met her around Camden she was just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends, most of whom were in cool Indie bands or peripheral Camden figures Withnail-ing their way through life on impotent charisma," he wrote.