Lori and George Schappell, recognized as the world’s oldest living conjoined twins, have passed away.
According to joint obituaries published by Leibensperger Funeral Homes in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, the twins died on April 7 due to undisclosed causes.
Born in Pennsylvania on September 18, 1961, the Schappell twins, aged 62 years and 202 days, held the record for the oldest living conjoined twins, as per the Guinness World Records website.
Prior to George Schappell coming out as transgender in 2007, the twins also held the record for the oldest female conjoined twins ever. Following George Schappell's revelation, they became the first set of same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders.
As craniopagus twins, they shared partially fused skulls and vital blood vessels, with 30% of their brains interconnected. This rare form of conjoined twinning represents only 2-6% of cases.
The twins were joined by the forehead, facing in opposite directions and unable to see each other. Surgeries to separate them were not feasible at the time of their birth, nor were they desired.
“I don’t believe in separation,” remarked Lori Schappell in a 2002 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I think you are messing with God’s work.”
Despite their physical connection, the twins led distinct lives. Lori Schappell could walk, while her brother, four inches shorter, had spina bifida and couldn’t walk independently. Lori would assist him by pushing him around on a movable stool.
George pursued a career as a professional country singer, performing gigs both domestically and internationally. On the other hand, Lori earned a college degree and worked in a hospital, where she handled medical instruments while George would quietly read a book.
As they navigated life together, the twins devised inventive ways to accommodate each other's preferences. For instance, while Lori Schappell preferred showering in the evening, her brother favored starting the day with a shower. They developed a technique that enabled one twin to bathe while ensuring the other remained dry.
“Normal is whatever you make of it, but we’re very happy,” Lori Schappell shared with the Los Angeles Times. “It all comes down to compromise. If more people in life did that, the world would be a better place.”
For the initial 24 years of their lives, the twins resided in an institution for individuals with intellectual disabilities, as per a profile in New York magazine. Their "frightened and confused parents" had placed them there.
Only after the intervention of the wife of former Pennsylvania governor Richard Thornburgh, who helped demonstrate to state authorities that they did not have intellectual disabilities, were the twins permitted to leave the institution, the magazine reported.
Following their departure, the twins relocated to a high-rise apartment in Reading, Pennsylvania, specifically designed for elderly residents, where they lived independently.
The Schappell twins garnered attention through their appearances in various television documentaries and talk shows.
Moreover, they made a guest appearance in a 2004 episode of "Nip/Tuck," portraying fictional conjoined twins Rose and Raven Rosenberg, according to IMDB.com.