The world’s oldest conjoined twins, Lori and George Schappell, have sadly died at the age of 62. Born with partially fused skulls and sharing 30 percent of their brains, the pair defied doctors’ predictions that they would not live past the age of 30.

While Lori was physically healthy, George, who suffered from spina bifida, was confined to a wheelchair pushed by his twin brother. George had a successful career as a country singer, while Lori pursued her passion for bowling, even winning trophies.

In the 1990s, Lori worked in a hospital laundry and arranged her shifts around George’s performances. George’s success as a country singer led her to travel around the world, and the conjoined twins were able to visit Germany and Japan, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

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They already made headlines when George, originally named Dori, announced he was transgender. They were the first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as opposite genders after George came out as a transgender man in 2007, the Mirror reports.

The twins, who lived independently in their two-bedroom apartment in Pennsylvania, had a unique arrangement that allowed them to maintain their individuality. They took turns sleeping in each other’s rooms and even maintained privacy when showering by using the shower curtain as a partition.

Lori often spoke about the importance of their independence and privacy. “I’m here physically, but that’s all,” she said, emphasizing that they can have private lives despite their bond. “Just because we can’t get up and walk away from each other doesn’t mean we can’t have loneliness from other people or from ourselves. Bonded people can have very private lives.”

The two became well-known faces on television and appeared on shows such as “Jerry Springer,” “The Maury Povich Show,” and “The Howard Stern Radio Show.”

When Lori and George were asked in previous interviews if they would split up, they firmly refused. “Would we split up? Absolutely not. My theory is: Why fix something that isn’t broken?” George explained in a 1997 documentary.

George also spoke about the importance of mutual respect and privacy in their relationship. “If you love and respect the person you are with, you will give them the privacy and compromise in situations that you would want from them,” he explained.

In 2015, Lori and George Schappell became the oldest living female conjoined twins, surpassing Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova, who died at age 53. The couple is survived by their father, six siblings, and numerous nieces and nephews.