Poignant last post from Will Young’s tragic twin
Alcoholic found dead at 41 after sharing childhood snap with pop star sibling
WILL Young’s twin brother Rupert paid tribute to their fraternal bond in his last social media post before his death.
He posted a picture of himself and the singer as young children, sitting cross-legged and smiling on a hay bale.
The photograph, which he uploaded to Instagram four weeks ago, was simply captioned with the year it was taken: 1984.
Rupert, 41, died after suffering from mental illness for many years, a spokesman for his brother confirmed on Monday.
Actress Denise Welch, who has spoken publicly about her own battle with depression, paid tribute to him, writing: ‘So heartbroken to hear about Will Young’s brother Rupert. A lovely man.’
It is unclear how he died but Rupert struggled with alcohol dependency and was diagnosed with depressive mood disorder dysthymia in 2005.
He has previously told how he started self-harming by cutting himself while at private school Wellington College in Berkshire.
Speaking in 2008, he went on: ‘I woke up one morning and turned on the TV. There was William on Richard and Judy giving the most amazing performance of one of his songs. I had spent the night before drinking with tramps in a car park and cutting myself.
‘It seemed bizarre to me that two people who are genetically the same could behave in such different ways.’
Rupert set up a mental health charity called The Mood Foundation in the late 2000s.
Writing about this, he said: ‘It took years for me to first realise
‘He’d been there for a day, drinking’
there was something wrong and then to find the right treatment.’
His brother, who was crowned the first Pop Idol winner in 2001 before going on to release albums and enjoy a stage career, has also spoken publicly about his own mental health struggles.
In 2015 he revealed that he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after years of hiding his sexuality. Will has also spoken previously about his brother’s struggle with mental health and how it affected their family, who he said had to ‘walk away’ to help Rupert.
‘It was the family stepping away that actually got him better,’ added the singer.
‘It’s very tough having a family member who is an addict. But when you’re dealing with that you eventually have to just stop and look after yourself.
‘Me, my parents, my older sister, everyone – we all just had to walk away. We had to leave him.’
Recalling one such occasion Will, who was born ten minutes before Rupert, said: ‘There was a moment I remember, when I had to go to some awards thing.
‘I had an album out, I was in a film and I was having a great time professionally.
‘I had to drive past the train station, and I knew that he’d been there for a day, just drinking.’
Rupert attempted suicide before Will appeared on Pop Idol and his alcohol problem worsened after his brother found fame.
In 2008, he said: ‘When Will and I were at boarding school, my identity was “the bad one”. And that continued until I was 25.
‘I would wind up the teachers and I was told in return that I was not a good person.
‘As a child I believed that and I internalised it.’
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Go to www. samaritans.org for details.