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World's Oldest Conjoined Twins Have Died Aged 68

World's Oldest Conjoined Twins Have Died Aged 68

The brothers appeared in carnivals and circuses as children

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

The world's oldest conjoined twins have died aged 68.

Ronnie and Donnie Galyon passed away at the Hospice of Dayton, in Ohio, USA, which they moved into last Wednesday.

Ronnie and Donnie Galyon have passed away.
PA

Prior to that, they spent the last decade living with their brother Jim after 200 local volunteers clubbed together to build an extension on his house.

According to WHIO, Jim said: "I am grateful to the community for what they did to help Ronnie and Donnie move into their house.

"This allowed them to live with their family for the last 10 years."

The brothers - who were joined at the abdomen - began working in circuses and carnivals as children, eventually retiring from the business in 1991.

The brothers worked in circuses as children.
The Wizard of Odd TV

In 2014, the twins entered the Guinness World Records having surpassed the lifespan of conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker as well as Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci, who were born in Italy in 1875 and lived until they were 63.

Last month viewers were left amazed and inspired by the bravery and determination of conjoined twin sisters who featured in a Channel 4 documentary entitled Two Sisters, One Body.

The programme focuses on the lives of Carmen and Lupita, two 18-year-old sisters from Connecticut who are navigating their way through not only their rare condition, but also their lives as Mexican immigrants.

The pair, who are joined at the abdomen but refuse to be separated, are preparing to leave school and become adults in their own right. That means attempting to achieve the same rites of passage as any other teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, such as learning to drive; however, that's not so simple when you share much of your body with another person.

Viewers were inspired by the sisters.
Channel 4

Lupita said: "Carmen wants to get her licence soon, so we can be more independent... I put the turn signals on and that's pretty much it."

Her sister added: "I have the right leg, I'm a little bit taller than her - not by much - we tried letting her drive, like hold the steering wheel once and it didn't really work.

"And my father wanted us to do my right arm and her right arm but that also didn't work so I just do it myself. It's been a lot of trial and error."

The sisters, who weren't expected to live longer than three days after their birth, have been told that surgery to separate them could result in death or years of intensive care, and have therefore decided to remain together.

You can watch the show on All 4 here.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: US News