Neil Smith, who sold the Big Issue on Holloway Road, has died aged 56

FLOWERS and cards have been laid at the spot where a Big Issue seller spent 17 years, two weeks after he passed away from sepsis.

Neil Smith, 56, set up his pitch outside the Waitrose on Holloway Road and spent almost two decades selling the newspaper there.

Waitrose regulars and friends this week paid tribute to the “kind and gentle” man who had become such an integral part of the community.

Jeanette Simpson, who lives near Angel, said Mr Smith had been a “lovely guy” who “always had time for you”.

She told the Tribune: “Rain or shine, he was there. He had diabetes and he loved orange juice even though he wasn’t supposed to have it. He would ask after everyone, remember your family and ask what they were doing. Honey, his dog, was always gorgeous.”

Mr Smith is survived by his furry companion who had been by his side for seven years.

His friend, Tammy Putzu, a fellow Big Issue vendor who is now looking after Honey, recalled how Mr Smith had first become her owner.

Mr Smith’s friend Tammy Putzu with his dog Honey

She said: “Honey was a rescue dog. She had been with three women who weren’t very nice to her and Neil found out about the dog and went and got her. She was with Neil every minute of every day. He was so devoted to this dog, it was the most important thing to him.”

Ms Putzu told the Tribune that Mr Smith had been born in the UK, but grew up in America, eventually living in San Diego. She said he loved motorbikes and rock and roll, and described how the pair would go to gigs at the Underworld in Camden.

Ms Putzu added: “He was my best friend, I used to speak to him more than my boyfriend, so I want to do the best thing I can for Honey and for Neil.

“He let me sell in his street. I did the morning and he did the afternoon. I miss him a lot because I would always text him every day. People loved him, he knows everyone, everyone would stop and talk to him.”

Mr Smith and Ms Putzu had first become friends after she had suffered a personal crisis.

A tribute at Mr Smith’s pitch

She said: “One day he was helping me out because I was crying. After Covid, I split up with my boyfriend and he was there to talk to every day, explaining to me how to sell the Big Issue. He helped me a lot to pick up the pieces.”

Ms Putzu had called the ambulance when Mr Smith was clearly unwell, and he was taken to the Whittington where he later died from a chest infection that had turned septic.

She said: “The doctors said they put him in intensive care but his blood pressure was so low his heart was struggling to keep up.

“They called me and I went straight to the Whittington Hospital to say my goodbye, but I couldn’t believe it.”

Jerri Corbett, an outreach worker for the Big Issue, told the Tribune that Mr Smith was “a gentle soul” who had worked hard to build up his pitch.

She added: “Seventeen years is a long old time, you become part of the community. It works both ways.

“I always think about the vendors, but it’s also the place in the community’s heart that the vendor has as well.

“It’s a two-way relationship. Neil might be the only person some of these guys might speak to during the day. Everyone loved him.”