By Felix Olakunle
The world’s oldest conjoined twins have died at the age of 62.
Lori and George Schappell were born in 1961 in Pennsylvania, US, with partially fused skulls and shared vital blood vessels and 30 percent of their brain, according to Guinness World Records.
The pair died on Sunday, April 7, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The cause of their death however remains unknown.
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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, while Lori was a trophy-winning tenpin bowler.
They also appeared in numerous documentaries to discuss their lives.
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 that, “Absolutely not. My theory is: why fix what is not broken?”
It is worth noting that Lori and George are survived by their father, six siblings, several nieces and nephews, and an extended family of friends.
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