The world’s oldest conjoined twins have died at the age of 62.
Lori and George Schappell were born in 1961 in Pennsylvania with partially fused skulls and shared vital blood vessels and 30% of their brain, Guinness World Records reported.
The pair died on 7 April, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to an obituary posted online by Leibensperger Funeral Homes. The cause of death remains unknown.
Having held the title of the world’s oldest living conjoined twins since 2022, they also became the first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders after George came out as transgender in 2007.
The Schappell twins defied all medical predictions which said they would not live past the age of 30 and managed to live separate lives despite being attached.
George enjoyed a successful career as a country singer, according to Guinness World Records, while Lori was a trophy-winning tenpin bowler.
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They also appeared in numerous documentaries and on ITV’s This Morning in September 2011 to discuss their lives.
Footage of the pair showed how Lori – who was able-bodied – pushed George who had a condition known as spina bifida around on a wheelchair-type stool.
They lived in a two-bedroom flat in Pennsylvania and were able to practise separate hobbies and shower individually.
When asked if they wished to be separated in a 1997 documentary, George said: “Absolutely not. My theory is: why fix what is not broken?”
Lori and George are survived by their father, six siblings, several nieces and nephews, and an extended family of friends, according to the obituaries.