Will Young is said to be heartbroken following the tragic death of his twin brother Rupert.
The circumstances surrounding the 41-year-old’s death are not known but he had spoken in the past about his struggles with depression and alcoholism, and in 2005 he had been diagnosed with dysthymia – a depressive mood disorder
A spokesman for the Young family said they have been left wracked by grief over their loss.
He told the Mirror: “I can confirm that Will’s brother has very sadly passed away.
“We would like to request privacy for Will and his family during this very difficult and sad time.”
In interviews in the past, Rupert had admitted he struggled with living his famous brother’s shadow.
Speaking in a 2008 interview with The Telegraph, Rupert said: “I woke up one morning and turned on the TV. There was William on Richard & Judy, giving the most amazing performance of one of his songs.
“I had spent the night before drinking with tramps in a car park.”
He added: “It seemed bizarre to me that two people who are genetically the same could behave in such different ways.
“I realised that something had gone very wrong. But I didn’t know what, or why, and nor did anyone else.”
Rupert said he was then in and out of hospital “more than ten times”.
“I saw the top doctors and psychiatrists in the country, but the mental health system here is overloaded…I was never actually properly assessed.
“They just told me I was an addict and that was why I was the way I was,” he said.
Will, who shot to fame on Pop Idol as the first ever winner in 2002, previously said he went into “survival mode” to support his twin brother over his mental health battles. However, as Rupert’s life settled, Will said he was then confronted with the dark reality of fame himself.
“I had always been the one sorting my brother out, and it was easier to do that than actually look at myself,” explained Will, during an interview in 2016.
“I had thought I was coping well… but I became scared about going out and meeting people. I was going into loony, reclusive-pop-star mode.”
