Will Young recalled how his late brother Rupert would sometimes pass out on the streets 'towards the end' of his life in his moving Channel 4 film last night.
The Pop Idol winner, 43, moved viewers to tears throughout the ' Will Young : Losing My Twin Rupert' - a powerful documentary which explored the pain and drama of life when a loved one is battle an addiction.
Will's twin brother Rupert took his own life in 2020 at the age of 41, following a 20-year battle with depression and an addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
Discussing the final months of Rupert's life, Evergreen singer Will recalled: "Towards the end, he was knocking on neighbours doors in the morning asking for money. He was passed out outside a newsagent.
"He had become a person that was on the street. I don't judge those people actually. I feel great empathy for them because that is Rupert, that’s what he became."
Elsewhere during the moving feature, Will opened up about learning his brother had died by suicide, shortly after the singer had kicked Rupert out of his house.
Will had become a carer for his late brother in the months before his death, as Rupert's dependency on alcohol grew worse.
Prior to recalling the moment police informed his twin had taken his own life, Will explained how he knew there was a possibility Rupert wouldn't survive on his own.
"I had to be OK with that. I was OK with everything that I had done to try and help him," Will stated on the Channel 4 documentary.
"I knew there was nothing more that I could do. I hadn’t got to that stage before but I reached that stage."
"It was Sunday and I answered the door and there were policemen standing there. I said, "He's killed himself hasn’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, "Yeah he has killed himself."'
The All Time Love hitmaker added: "That brought a whole load of grief, that I couldn’t save him."
Will also discussed his suspicions that the passing of Rupert's beloved dog Lola may have played some part in his brother's death.
"It was like her and Rupert were one. Rupert always joked that when Lola died he would go on the biggest bender ever but when she died it was really dreadful," the singer recalled.
"He never explicitly said I will leave this earth when Lola leaves this earth but Lola died end of May 2020 and he died in July 2020. At the end he would be drinking for 24 hours a day."
Rupert's struggles with alcohol began as a teenager but he did enjoy a period of sobriety around 2005.
After breaking up with a girlfriend, Rupert began drinking once again and moved in with brother Will in 2016.
"I can’t remember why they broke up but I do think then he went back into drinking. From the time he started to live with me from 2016, he would drink about 40 beers a day," Will recalled.
"I was his carer. Cleaning up the p**s, cleaning up the sick, sometimes I had to wipe his a*s. It was really quite bad."
Viewers were moved by Will's raw honesty and recollections throughout the emotional Channel 4 documentary.
One fan took to Twitter to share: "Thank you @Channel4 for the moving & honest documentaty with Will Young & his brother Rupert's addiction & subsequent suicide it was sensitively presented & very moving @willyoung."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
