Community mourns the loss of a cherished wife, mother, and friend taken too soon

The Newport community is mourning the sudden loss of Amy McCann, a cherished figure known for her warmth and leadership at McCann’s Rock N Ale Bar on High Street.
Early Thursday morning, the bar confirmed her passing, prompting an outpouring of heartfelt tributes on social media, where she was remembered as “one of a kind” and, in the words of her daughter, “not only a mum but a best friend.” The official statement from the bar read: “With great sadness and loss, we’d like to inform everybody that Amy, loving wife to Andy and loving mother to Macey and Laila, much loved landlady to McCanns Rock N Ale bar sadly passed away suddenly and peacefully on the April 17 at 7am.
We are all heartbroken so please bear with us whilst we come to terms with this loss.”
Messages from loved ones and friends have captured the depth of her impact, with her daughter expressing, “Sadly yesterday morning we lost my mum Amy McCann.
Not only was you my mum but you was also my best friend.
Words can’t even describe the pain we are all going through right now.
I wouldn’t be where I am in life right now if it wasn’t for you.
Going to miss you so so much but I’m going to make sure I do you proud and give Laila the best life possible.
I love you so much.” One close friend wrote, “Never expected to be writing this about one of my best mates, I’m broken.
There’s so many things I want to say but I’ll never find the words.
There’s a million stories I could share.
Thank you for being as crazy as me because my stupid ideas were never stupid to you.
I’ll never find that sort of friendship again.
You are and always will be one of a kind.
I love you.” Her sister added, “Amy McCann my beautiful big sister.
Gone way too soon.
Life is so unfair.
Give dad a cuddle for me.”
Staff and patrons alike have gathered at the bar to share their memories, with a colleague noting, “Thank you to everyone who came in today to share their stories and condolences for Mrs Amy McCann.
There’s nothing I can say to anyone that would bring comfort, she was taken too soon and took a big part of all of our hearts with her.
What I can say is she was definitely the most incredible women we have had the pleasure of knowing, she achieved so much, brought up her beautiful daughters, was a loving wife, sister and daughter, amazing landlady and the best boss anyone could wish for! As any staff can tell you, working for Mrs.McCann was an incredible thing, she became so much more than our boss, she became our good friend, she guided us and truly cared for all of us.
Her customers, staff and pub was like a second family, so we are going to do Amy proud and continue as she would of wanted.
We will be open as usual paying respects to our legend of a landlady.”
Amy McCann’s passing comes at a time when the importance of community spaces and strong local leadership is increasingly recognized in research on urban wellbeing, with pubs and gathering places like McCann’s Rock N Ale Bar often serving as vital social anchors.
According to a 2023 study by the Campaign for Real Ale, such establishments play a significant role in combating loneliness and fostering community spirit in UK towns and cities.
As Newport reflects on Amy’s legacy, her influence as a connector, mentor, and friend is evident in the stories and tributes that continue to emerge, underscoring the irreplaceable role she played in so many lives.