James Bourne, a member of the band Busted, has revealed that his brother Chris donated a kidney to him, saving his life after doctors warned he had only a few years left to live.
Bourne, 43, was forced to withdraw from the joint Busted and McFly tour last September, just a day before the shows were due to begin, because of poor health. His younger brother Chris stepped in as his replacement for the tour.
Brother's life-saving donation
In a post on X on Monday, October 26, Bourne shared a selfie with his brother and wrote: "I'm still alive and kicking and it's all thanks to my brother." He encouraged fans to read a lengthy update he had posted on his Spotify biography.
In that update, Bourne 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.
"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
Bourne said he could not believe how much better he was already starting to feel, adding that both he and his "hero" Chris were now recovering from their surgeries. Chris replied to the post with the words: "We did it brother."
Fiona Loud, policy director of the Kidney Care UK charity, said: "James is absolutely right, his brother is a hero. As are all of those who step forward to be an organ donor for family, friends or even someone they have never even met.
"We're pleased that he didn't need to wait until the year 3000 to receive his transplant, as the kidney waiting list is the longest it's ever been – so it's great to see his brother has stepped in to help and was a match.
"We are very happy for James and Chris, we're glad to hear they are recovering well, and we hope that James is able to get back to living his life to the full with his brother's kidney soon."
Health struggles and career
Bourne has not given further details of his condition. In April, he announced he planned to undergo a "major surgery that should extend my life", and in July he told fans he was "not out of the woods yet". He has since deleted his Instagram account.
When announcing his withdrawal from the tour last year, Bourne posted on Instagram that he was "not in good enough health to play these shows", adding: "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."
Bourne, a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, rose to fame in the early 2000s with hits including "What I Go To School For", "Year 3000" and "Crashed the Wedding". His bandmates Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson supported his decision to step down from the tour.
