James Bourne's brother, Chris, has posted a social media update after it was revealed he donated a kidney to the Busted singer, who had been told he had "years to live".
The 42-year-old musician, known for his work with Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson in Busted, had to leave the band's tour with McFly last year due to his health. On Monday evening, James shared that his illness was so severe that doctors had given him a limited time to live until his brother stepped in.
Brother's Emotional Response
On Tuesday evening, Chris took to Instagram, sharing a picture of himself and his pop star brother as children. He wrote: "When you find out that everything’s going to be ok."
Chris was flooded with messages of support, with one follower writing: "True brotherly love," and another saying: "What a selfless act!! Thank you Chris". A third wrote: "Absolute legend," and a fourth added: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart and every other Busted fans heart! You’re a legend xxx"
James's Health Revelation
Earlier this week, James disclosed more about his health struggles in the bio section of his Spotify page. He wrote: "Wow, what the hell happened? One minute you’re heading out on tour, the next thing you know you’re on the bench and out of the game. My condition was serious and the doctors told me I had a few years left to live."
He continued: "I’m happy to share now that my youngest brother, Chris, who stepped in for me on tour last year, has saved my life yet again. This time quite literally by donating me one of his kidneys."
Recovery and Support
In concluding the update, James added: "I can’t believe how much better I’m starting to feel already. I’m still going to need some time, but I wanted you to know that we’re both recovering from surgery just fine. My brother is a hero."
When a fan told James on X: "Really glad you're still here. Wishing you a smooth recovery," the singer replied: "It's good to still be here thank you."
In July, James had shared a rare update, thanking fans for their ongoing support. He wrote: "As I’m taking a break from the gram, I’ll be posting an update soon about what’s going on with my health in my Spotify bio. It’s a long story. Still not out of the woods yet. Thanks for your support and patience."
James had previously stated that he needed surgery to extend his life, writing on Instagram Stories: "I have a plan in place to have a major surgery that should extend my life and hopefully make me well enough to come back to what I love the most, which is touring and making music."
He had announced his departure from the McFly Vs Busted tour last year, saying at the time: "The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as l've been all year for this tour to begin, I'm really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows."
He added: "There's a lot of information I still don't have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now. I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line."
