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.