World's oldest conjoined twins have died

Lori and George Schappell died at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, according to a statement from a funeral home in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

Lori and George were born in Pennsylvania on September 18, 1961. They were joined at the skull, sharing several important blood vessels and 30% of their brain.

Cặp song sinh dính liền lớn tuổi nhất thế giới vừa qua đời - 1 — Lori and George Schappell have died at the age of 62 (Photo: New York Post).

Lori and George are the first conjoined twins in the world to be recognized as being of different sexes. This was done in 2007, after George transitioned to become a male. Lori and George's case is one of the rarest of conjoined twins, accounting for only about 2-6% of conjoined twins.

Although they lived next to each other, Lori and George claimed that they had completely different interests and inclinations during their lifetime.

While Lori can walk, George is shorter and has a double spine. So George has to use a wheelchair, and Lori has to push the wheelchair during the move.

In their home in Pennsylvania, they have separate bedrooms. They sleep in different rooms each night so that each of them can feel comfortable. In their daily lives, Lori and George have also shared that they shower at different times, have different habits and preferences.

George pursued a career as a country singer, while Lori enjoyed bowling. In the 1990s, Lori also worked at a hospital as a blanket washer.

Lori and George have appeared in several documentaries. Doctors gave a rather pessimistic prognosis for Lori and George, saying the twins were unlikely to live past the age of 30.

Cặp song sinh dính liền lớn tuổi nhất thế giới vừa qua đời - 2 — Lori Schappell (left) and George Schappell (right) (Photo: New York Post).

After their birth, Lori and George spent their first 24 years in a mental hospital. The twins' biological parents were so confused and scared that they sent them to the hospital.

Throughout their lives, Lori and George never wanted to be separated. Even though they were conjoined, they never saw each other face to face.

When asked if they ever wished they could have been separated and have a more normal life, Lori said: "I don't believe in that. I think if we did that, we would be interfering with nature's work."

George had a similar thought: "We don't need to be separated. Why fix something we don't see as broken?" Lori and George's biological father is still alive. The twins have six other siblings.