BOY GEORGE REBUTS KIN’S DRUG CLAIM

LONDON — Boy George, the British rock star known for his flamboyant gowns and makeup, on Thursday denied his brother’s claim that he is a heroin addict.

“I’m fit enough to run the London Marathon,” the singer told journalists who converged on his home after reports of an alleged drug problem appeared in British newspapers.

In a later interview with Independent Television, Boy George said he had lost weight from dieting and denied he used drugs.

One of the singer’s brothers, David O’Dowd, said earlier Thursday in a television interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. that Boy George was a heroin addict.

“It’s been going on for the last eight months seriously,” O’Dowd said. “He looks gaunt. The sparkle that used to be in his eyes is gone.”

But a second brother, Gerald O’Dowd, was quoted Thursday by Press Assn., Britain’s domestic news agency, as saying he had spoken to Boy George “and he says he is just fine.”

“He is not ill, and is certainly not going to die from a heroin overdose in eight weeks,” Gerald O’Dowd was quoted as saying. “I am aware that our other brother, David, is very concerned about George, but I know he has George’s best interests at heart.”

At his most recent performance, an open-air concert last Saturday in London, Boy George wore heavy white makeup and a flowing gown, and it was difficult for fans to tell whether he had changed physically. But his voice seemed strong.