Will Young told how his twin brother Rupert sometimes fainted on the streets “towards the end of his life”.
Rupert fell from Westminster Bridge in July 2020 at the age of 41 after a long battle with depression and addiction to alcohol and painkillers.
Will discusses his brother’s problems in his Channel 4 documentary Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert, which some viewers say has brought them to tears.
Heartbreaking: Will Young tells how his twin brother Rupert sometimes fainted on the streets “towards the end” of his life
Recalling the last months of his brother’s life, Will said: “Towards the end of the morning he knocks on the neighbors’ doors and asks for money. He was indifferent in front of a newsstand.
“He had become a man on the street. I don’t really judge these people. I feel great sympathy for them, because this is Rupert, this is who he became.
Will also told about the moment when the police told him that his brother had taken his own life, which happened shortly after he drove him out of the house.
The singer has become a concern for Rupert at this time as he struggles with his alcohol addiction.
Tragedy: Rupert fell from Westminster Bridge in July 2020 at the age of 41 after a long battle with depression and addiction to alcohol and painkillers
Will also speculates that Rupert’s death may be due in part to the death of his beloved dog, Lola, just two months earlier.
He said: “It’s as if she and Rupert were one. Rupert always joked that when Lola died, he would go to the biggest curve, but when she died, it was really awful.
“He never said explicitly that I would leave this land when Lola left this land, but Lola died at the end of May 2020 and he died in July 2020. He would eventually drink 24 hours a day.”
Recalling Rupert’s expulsion, Will said he knew his brother was likely to die if he was alone.
Emotional: Will discusses his brother’s problems in his Channel 4 documentary Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert, which some viewers say has brought them to tears
He explained: “I should have been fine with that. I was OK with everything I did to try to help him. I knew there was nothing more I could do. I hadn’t reached this stage before, but I did.
“It was Sunday and I opened the door and there were policemen. I said, “He killed himself, didn’t he?” That was the first thing I said. They said, “Can we come in?” and I said, “Just tell me,” and one of them said, “Yes, he killed himself.”
He added: “It brought a lot of grief that I couldn’t save him.”
Rupert’s alcohol dependence began around the age of 18 and continued throughout his adult life.
Will said: “He had become a man who was on the street. I don’t really judge these people. I feel great sympathy for them, because this is Rupert, this is where he became.
Family: Rupert fell from Westminster Bridge in July 2020 after a long battle with mental health and addiction to alcohol and painkillers (Rupert and Will pictured in 2008)
Will noted that Rupert became sober around 2005, saying it was “nice not to worry about him” for a while.
He started drinking again after breaking up with a girlfriend and moving in with his brother in 2016.
Will said: “I can’t remember why they broke up, but I think he started drinking again after that. Since he started living with me in 2016, he has been drinking about 40 beers a day.
“I was his nurse.” Cleaning his ass, cleaning the sick, sometimes I had to wipe his ass. It was really bad.
Will also said Rupert had made several other attempts on his life in the past, including when Will was a participant in Pop Idol in 2002.
Response: Viewers turned to social media to praise Will and Channel 4 for highlighting alcohol dependence
He said: “Attempts at suicide, cutting his wrists, which began at 18 and lasted for years. I remember we were 22, I had started auditioning for Pop Idol, and Rupert had really cut his wrists in Bristol.
“Then he came to the studio that weekend and his stitches burst when I was about to continue singing.
“It’s very visceral to think about cutting your wrists. I just thought I should keep doing this.
Viewers turned to social media to praise Will and Channel 4 for emphasizing alcohol dependence.
One said: “The loss of my twin Rupert is a brilliant program. Honest, brutal, gentle and with a beautiful pace. Addiction is a terrible disease that is often misunderstood.
Memories: At the end of the program, Will said he was still grieving the death of his brother, but learned not to “ignore” him.
Another wrote: “I swear, I haven’t stopped crying in the last hour. Rupert will live through his family, and they are so brave that they open up and talk so openly about him.
Another viewer added: “So sad, so many people can connect with this story.”
At the end of the program, Will said he was still grieving the death of his brother, but had learned not to “ignore” him.
He said: “This is the key. There are many signs to me that he is there. Talking about it is good. That’s how we keep people alive.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans at 116123 or visit a local Samaritan branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
He said: “This is the key. There are many signs to me that he is there. Talking about it is good. That’s how we keep people alive. “
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