Lori and George Chappell, conjoined twins whose skulls were partially fused but who managed to lead independent lives, died April 7 in Philadelphia. It was 62.
Their death in a hospital, announced by a funeral homewhich did not state the cause.
Dr. Christopher Moir, a professor of surgery at the Mayo Clinic who participated in teams that separated six sets of conjoined twins—though none of them were conjoined at the head—said that when one of the Schappells died, the other would almost certainly have quickly followed.
“Conjoined twins share traffic,” he said, “so if you don’t somehow split their connection, it’s absolutely a fatal, unsustainable process.”
The Schappells lived much longer than expected when they were born as fraternal twins, conjoined at the head, which is rare. They were referred to as the the second oldest conjoined twins ever from Guinness World Records.
They connected at the sides of their foreheads and were looking in opposite directions. Lori was physical and pushed George, who had a back, onto a stool that had wheels. George was born female and changed her name in the 1990s to Reba, after country singer Reba McEntire, but later identified as a transgender man.
They insisted, adamantly, that they were separate people.
“We are two human beings who came into the world connected in one area of the body.” Laurie said in a short ITV documentary in 1997. “This is a condition that happened at birth and people need to learn to understand it. When they see this”—he gestured to their joined heads—“all they see is this.”
He added: “There’s a lot more to Reba and I than that. Get over it already, everyone, get over it and learn to know the individual.’
Lori worked in a hospital laundry in the 1990s and enjoyed bowling.
George has performed country music in the United States and abroad. won a Los Angeles Music Award for Best New Country Artist in 1997. and sang “The Fear of Being Alone” over the closing credits “stick to you” (2003), a comedy directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, starring Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon as conjoined twins.
The Schappells had been hired as technical advisers on the film, but when the Farrellys learned of Reba’s musical talent, they added her cover of “The Fear of Being Alone,” a song Ms. McIntire recorded in 1996, the Los Angeles Times reported . Reba Schappell too made a video of the song.
In 2002, Reba appeared on “The Jerry Springer Show,” singing “Dr. Talk,” a song Mr. Springer wrote and recorded in 1995. The audience stood and applauded as she performed.
They gave each other space for their pursuits. Reba told BBC radio in 2006, “When I sing, Laurie is like another fan, only she’s on stage with me (covered with a blanket to reduce distraction).”
On the Springer show, the twins noted that Laurie was dating men and discussed logistics.
During Lori’s dates, Reba said, “I wasn’t there in my head. I was there physically. I didn’t look at anything or say anything.”
Lori added: “You really forget it’s there.”
Lori said she’s gotten this far with men: “As for anything other than hugs or kisses, I won’t go any further. I will give up my virginity on my wedding night.”
Lori added: “I’ve shared intimacy before.”
They were born Sept. 18, 1961, in West Reading, Pa., two of eight children to Franklin and Ruth Schappell. The doctor gave them one year to live.
“Then he said we’re not going to live past 2 or we’re not going to live past 3,” Laurie told the Los Angeles Times in 2002. “Every year he’s been wrong. We were saying the other day, if he could see us now, we’re 41 and we’re still here.”
At a young age, the twins were placed in an institution for the mentally disabled in Reading, according to a 2005 article in New York magazine.
“Because they were not retarded, they helped the caregivers there make beds and feed other children, Helen Weisbrodt, who directed Face to Face: The Schappells, a 2000 documentary told over the phone.
The Schappells were institutionalized for more than 20 years until they met Ginny Thornburgh, wife of Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh, in the 1980s. Ms. Thornburgh was an activist for people with disabilities, and Gov. Thornburgh closed some state institutions for people with developmental disabilities. disability.
Recounting her memories of the Schappells through Governor Thornburgh’s former press secretary, Paul Kritchlow, Ms Thornburgh said it was clear from talking to the Schappells that they were not mentally disabled and did not belong in the facility. He spoke with the facility’s chaplain, who helped them move to a seniors’ home in Reading.
Mrs. Thornburg later invited them to dine with her at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg. He also visited them in their apartment.
They are survived by their father. their sisters, Denise Schappell, Brenda Zellers and Patti Cahill; and their brothers, Rodney, Dennis and Gregory. Their mother died in 2019.
The Schappell twins said they never wanted to be surgically separated and that they didn’t wish they had been born apart.
“Our parents instilled in us from the day we were old enough to know better and understand what they were saying,” Lori told ITV, “that God did this for a purpose.”