The Longest-Surviving Conjoined Twins Have Died

The world's longest-surviving conjoined twins died July 4 at the age of 68, reports the AP. Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, of Beavercreek, Ohio, were born joined at the abdomen Oct. 28, 1951. In 2014, the brothers earned the distinction of being the world's oldest set of conjoined twins shortly before their 63rd birthday. WHIO reported that the two died in hospice care in Dayton. The Montgomery County coroner said their deaths were due to natural causes.

Starting as children, the brothers appeared in carnivals and circuses as a sideshow attraction. Brother Jim Gaylon told MLive that their income supported their family for years. The brothers retired from entertaining in 1991, and lived alone until 2010 when health problems including arthritis prompted them to move in with family members. TLC aired a documentary about the men that same year. The Dayton Daily News reports the brothers had four arms and four legs, and each had his own heart, lungs and stomach. Their vital organs merged in the digestive tracts, and they shared a lower intestine.

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