'I TRIED TO HELP'
Will Young reveals brother Rupert would drink ’24 hours a day’ and spent £50k sending him to rehab before tragic death
WILL Young has revealed his late twin brother Rupert was drinking 24 hours a day before his death.
Pop Idol winner Will, 43, was left devastated in 2020 when Rupert took his own life after years battling alcohol abuse and depression.
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Despite stumping up tens of thousands of pounds for Rupert to go through rehab and even housing him in his final years, Will was unable to save his sibling.
Speaking publicly about Rupert's death for the first time in Channel 4 documentary Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert, the singer says: “When things got difficult in the past I’d be like, ‘Yeah, there’s £50,000 — have a lovely five-star trip to rehab’ and that went on for a lot of years.”
The Evergreen singer, who has spent £500,000 overcoming his own addiction issues, hopes the hour-long programme will help other families going through a similar situation.
In 2005, Rupert attended a facility in Arizona, where he discovered abuse he'd suffered as a teen in boarding school had sparked his mental health struggles.
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He was diagnosed with a form of chronic depression called dysthymia, which causes low mood.
Getting to the root of his problems spurred him to help others — so in 2008 he set up a mental health charity, Mood Foundation, which went on to raise thousands of pounds.
Rupert did manage to go teetotal for three years, and proud Will even got a tattoo of his brother's initials to mark the achievement, but his sobriety wasn't too last.
Around a week before Rupert’s death, Will reported his brother as a trespasser and had him removed from his house.
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He says: “At the end, he would be drinking 24 hours a day. You’ve got this monster who’s not moving. So the only thing was to throw him out but also to be aware he might end up killing himself. I was OK with everything I’d done to try to help him.”
In July 2020, Rupert was admitted to hospital after threatening to jump off Westminster Bridge.
Three days later he managed to discharge himself before taking his own life at the same location.
Two police officers knocked on his door to break the news to Will.
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The singer, who is set to go on a UK tour later this year, admits: “I had a big moment where I realised I couldn’t save him and that brought a whole lot of grief.
“Now I just feel very grateful that I got 42 years with him.”
Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert is on Channel 4 tomorrow at 10.05pm.
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You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
- Movember,
- Anxiety UK , 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm
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