Berks County natives and the world’s oldest conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell have died.
Officials from Leibensperger Funeral Homes in Leesport confirmed Friday that Lori and George, who previously identified as Dori, died at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania on April 7. Their cause of death was not disclosed.
They were 62 years old.
The twins were born Sept 18, 1961, to Franklin and the late Ruth Schappell of Perry Township. They were living in Reading at the time of their death.
Dori revealed in 2007 that he was transgender and began identifying as George.
They were craniopagus twins, meaning they had partially fused skulls. It is the rarest form of conjoined twinning, representing only 2% to 6% of cases.
The twins found it very important to live as independently as possible and had maintained their own residence since the age of 24. They also traveled extensively.
They received a lot of attention during their lifetimes, appearing on several documentaries and talk shows. They even once appeared on an episode of the television show “Nip/Tuck.”
George was an accomplished country music singer, performing throughout the U.S. Lori was a trophy-winning bowler and worked in the Reading Hospital laundry for several years.
