Lori and George Schappell, the world’s oldest conjoined twins, have died at the age of 62.
The twins died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to Guinness World Records.
Born on September 18, 1961, in Pennsylvania, USA, they were craniopagus twins, meaning they were joined at the head and shared vital blood vessels and brain tissue. The rare form of conjoined twinning affects only 2-6% of all conjoined twin births.
While Lori was fully mobile, George had spina bifida and used a specialised wheelchair-like stool to get around.They had lived independently in a two-bedroom apartment since 1988.
The twins made headlines in 2007 when George, originally named Dori, came out as transgender. He did not undergo gender-affirming surgery but preferred male pronouns and a masculine presentation. Prior to this, he had gone by the name Reba, inspired by the country singer Reba McEntire.
Despite being placed in an institution for the disabled for the first 24 years of their lives due to concerns about their care, neither Lori nor George were intellectually disabled.
Their parents, who maintained contact throughout, instilled in them a strong sense of faith, with the twins believing their condition was divinely ordained.
“Would we be separated? Absolutely not,” George stated in a 1997 documentary. “My theory is: why fix what is not broken?”
Lori and George will be remembered as inspiring figures who challenged societal perceptions of disability and defied expectations.
