Famous People with
Organ Transplants

The human body has several vital organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and pancreas that are responsible for ensuring that different processes are running well. Due to various reasons an organ may develop a disease or condition and it may eventually fail in the process.

Natalie Cole

In a bid to rectify this state of affairs and also prevent any future complications getting an organ transplant may be necessary.

List of Famous People with Organ Transplants

Many people from all around the world have had organ transplants. And famous people are a part of this group. In 2012, in the U. S. alone, over 28,000 people received organs transplants according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Recipients sometimes receive organs from friends, family or significant others who are matched and opt to donate the organs to them. In other cases, people receive the organs from anonymous donors as part of a waiting list.

Singer and songwriter Natalie Cole (picture at top) was born in 1950. She is the daughter of the legendary singer and actor Nat King Cole. She had a kidney transplant on May 20, 2009 after receiving kidney dialysis prior to the surgery. She had been receiving dialysis three times a week for a couple of months before the transplant.

Gary Coleman

Gary Coleman (pictured above) was born in 1968 and passed away in 2010. He was an actor who played Arnold in the show Different Strokes. He received 2 separate kidney transplants. One was in 1973 and the other in 1984. He died 26 years after receiving the second transplant.

Larry Hagman (pictured below) was born in 1931 and passed away on November 23, 2012. He was known for playing J.R. Ewing on the soap opera Dallas. He also starred in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Six years before receiving the transplant he faced a life or death crisis. His liver was rapidly failing and when he went to get medical help he was placed on the donor list.

Hagman waited and a donor was finally available. He received the transplant in 1995. He died 17 years after receiving it.

Larry Hagman

Other famous people who endured organ transplants include Neil Simon, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jim Nabors, Steve Jobs and John Phillips.

Organ transplants are becoming more common today. In 1823, the first skin transplant took place in Germany. In 1954, the first successful kidney transplant took place in Boston. And in 2013, the first life-saving entire face transplantation took place in Poland.

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