How one-half of the world’s oldest conjoined twins came out as transgender prior to death at 62

On Friday, it was reported that the world’s oldest conjoined twins – Lori and George Schappell – had died at the age of 62.

The siblings were born on September 18, 1961, with partially fused skulls and sharing 30 percent of their brains.

From an early age, Lori and George defied medical expectations, as Lori had previously told The Sun: “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong.”

Despite being physically connected their entire lives, Lori and George enjoyed different interests and had very different personalities. For example, Lori was an accomplished 10-pin bowler and George was a passionate country and western singer. In fact, per the Daily Mail, the twins lived independently in a two-bedroom apartment in Pennsylvania and would take turns practicing and enjoying their separate hobbies.

Credit: Jason Kempin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

However, in 2007, George shared a revelation with his sister that left her “shocked” and he announced he was transgender.

In an interview with The Sun several years ago, George spoke out about how he had always known his true identity since he was a child.

“I have known from a very young age that I should have been a boy,” George told the publication. “I loved playing with trains and hated girly outfits. I kept my desire to change sex hidden – even from Lori – for many years.”

Speaking of the difficulty of coming out to his sister, George added: “It was so tough, but I was getting older and I simply didn’t want to live a lie. I knew I had to live my life the way I wanted.”

Lori admitted that, while she was stunned by her brother’s news, she wanted to support her brother.

“Obviously it was a shock when Dori changed to George, but I am so proud of him,” Lori said. “It was a huge decision but we have overcome so much in our lives and together we are such a strong team. Nothing can break that.”

At 62, Lori and George Schappell were the oldest conjoined twins in the world. Credit: Jemal Countess/WireImage for PMK/HBH/Getty

Throughout their incredible lives, George and Lori appeared on several high-profile TV shows, such as Jerry Springer, The Maury Povich Show, and The Howard Stern Radio Show. And in 1997, the siblings took part in an Our Life documentary.

When the Schappell twins were asked if both of them would die at the same time, Lori explained: “Nope, that’s just not the case. It’s another one of those misconceptions.”

George explained that if one of the twins were suffering with a potentially deadly illness, they could be rushed to the hospital and, “in an emergency, we could be separated swiftly to save the other one.”

Delving deeper into the topic of separation, George made his stance crystal clear: “Would we ever consider going our separate ways? Absolutely not. Why mess with something that’s perfectly fine?”

Lori echoed his sentiment, emphasizing: “Just because we’re physically joined doesn’t mean we can’t have our own space. Conjoined people can lead very private lives.”

Our thoughts continue to go out to Lori and George’s family and loved ones at this time.