Lori and George Schappell explained

Lori Schappell
George Schappell
Birth Name:Lori L. Schappell
Dori A. Schappell
Birth Date:18 September 1961
Birth Place:West Reading, Pennsylvania, US
Death Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Lori Schappell and George Schappell (September 18, 1961 – April 7, 2024) were American conjoined twins. George performed as a country singer. As of 2020, they were the oldest living conjoined twins in the world.[1] [2] Guinness World Records noted that George's gender transition made George and Lori the first set of conjoined twins to identify as different genders.[3]

Early life, family and education

Lori and George Schappell were craniopagus conjoined twins joined at the head. Although they shared an area of scalp and blood vessels, their brains were distinct from each other.[4] They had very different personalities and lived—insofar as possible—individual lives.[5] George was unable to walk due to spina bifida.[6]

They spent the first twenty-four years of their life in an institution for the mentally disabled. They lived without assistance in high-rise apartments for the elderly in Reading, Pennsylvania from 1988 until their death in 2024.[7] As a mark of individuality and disliking the fact that their names rhymed, George, then known as Dori, first chose to go by the name Reba after his favorite singer Reba McEntire.

The twins graduated from a public high school and later attended college classes.[8]

Careers

As a country music singer, George performed widely in the United States and visited Germany and Japan. In 1997, he won an L.A. Music Award for Best New Country Artist. He sang "Fear of Being Alone" over the credits of Stuck on You, a comedy feature film about a pair of fictitious conjoined twins.

Lori acted as George's facilitator. She worked in a hospital laundry, arranging her workload around George's singing commitments. She said that, as a fan of George, she paid to attend concerts just like all the other fans, simply making herself quiet and "invisible" while George was performing.[9]

As conjoined twins, Lori and George appeared in a number of television documentaries and talk shows. They also acted in an episode of the television series Nip/Tuck in which they played conjoined twins, Rose and Raven Rosenberg.

On June 21, 2007, Lori and George took part in the grand opening of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. This was the first time they were billed as Lori and George Schappell, instead of Lori and Dori Schappell, or Lori and Reba Schappel.[10]

Personal lives and death

The Schappell twins lived in a two-bedroom apartment with each maintaining a distinct private space. They had several pets. Lori was a trophy-winning bowler. They respected each other's privacy in terms of work time, recreation and relationships. Lori had several boyfriends and was engaged but her fiancé died after a motor vehicle accident. They celebrated their 50th birthday with a trip to London.[11]

By 2007, George came out as a trans man. Guinness World Records noted that gender transition made the Schappells the first set of conjoined twins of different gender identities.[12]

Lori and George Schappell died at University of Pennsylvania Hospital on April 7, 2024, at the age of 62.[13] [14] The cause of death was not publicly disclosed.

Media

Lori and George appeared in the following programs or articles:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 6 Oldest Living Conjoined Twins in the World. oldest.org. September 5, 2019. June 21, 2022.
  2. Web site: Aged 62, world's oldest conjoined twins have defied all expectations. Sanj . Atwal. 6 December 2023. Guinness World Records. April 24, 2024.
  3. Web site: First same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders . Guinness World Records . 11 March 2023.
  4. News: Joined for Life, and Living Life to the Full . Natalie . Angier. December 23, 1997. The New York Times. April 23, 2024.
  5. News: Sandomir . Richard . 2024-04-22 . Lori and George Schappell, Long-Surviving Conjoined Twins, Die at 62 . 2024-04-22 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  6. Web site: Garrison . Jessica . Together, Yet Going It Alone . . 11 March 2023 . 21 September 2002 . Because [George] is 4 inches shorter and suffers from spina bifida, Lori wheels her [brother] around on a stool wherever they go..
  7. Web site: Best Doctors, Separation Anxiety. New York. 12 August 2005.
  8. News: Lori and George Schappell, Oldest Living Conjoined Twins, Die at 62. The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press . April 22, 2024 . April 23, 2024.
  9. BBC . Sisters' Hope.
  10. Web site: Ripley's Believe it or Not. . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929080819/http://usaweeklynews.org/Ripley_sBelieveItOrNot.html . 2007-09-29 . Tona Lewis, left, of Brick, N.J., shakes hands with conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell during the grand opening celebration of Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium Thursday, June 21, 2007 in New York's Times Square .
  11. News: Oldest-Living Conjoined Twins Turn 50. May 9, 2020. Fox News. September 12, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20210906142125/https://www.foxnews.com/health/oldest-living-conjoined-twins-turn-50/. September 6, 2021.
  12. Web site: First same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders . . 11 March 2023.
  13. Web site: Dori Schappell Obituary [Note: George is referred to by his birth name and gender.] ]. . 11 April 2024.
  14. Web site: Lori and George Schappell, Pennsylvania residents and oldest living conjoined twins, die at 62 .
  15. Web site: Face to Face: The Schappell Twins . IMDb . 17 July 2022.
  16. Web site: Lori and Reba Schappell on Jerry Springer - Part 1 of 6. 14 June 2011 . www.youtube.com.

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