The world's oldest conjoined twins, Lori and her transgender brother, George Schappell, have died at the age of 62.
Lori and conjoined twin George
tragically passed away on Sunday, April 7, in a Pennsylvania hospital, with the
cause of death remaining undisclosed, according to their online obituaries
published by Leibensperger Funeral Homes.
The twins, who were born with
partially-fused skulls and shared 30 per cent of their brains, defied medical
predictions that they wouldn't live past 30.
While Lori was able-bodied, George, who had spina bifida, used a wheelchair which his twin pushed around.
They were the world’s first
same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders, as George announced
he was transgender in 2007 and began presenting himself as a man.
George had a successful career
as a country singer, while Lori pursued her passion for ten-pin bowling, even
winning trophies.
In the '90s, Lori worked at a
hospital laundry, arranging her shifts around George's gigs. George's country
singer success took them on trips around the world, and the conjoined twins
were able to visit Germany and Japan, according to the Guinness World Records.
They previously made headlines
when George, originally named Dori, came out as transgender. They became the
first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders after George
came out as a transgender man in 2007.
At that point, George changed
his name from Reba - a name he adopted to honour his idol Reba McEntire because
he disliked their rhyming names - to George.
The twins lived independently
in a two-bedroom flat in Pennsylvania, alternating between their separate
hobbies. They took turns sleeping in each other's rooms and showered
separately, using the shower curtain as a barrier while one stood outside the
bath.
"Guinness World Records
are saddened to learn of the deaths of the oldest living conjoined twins and
oldest female conjoined twins ever, Lori and George Schappell," Guinness
World Records wrote on Friday, April 12.
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