Conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton faced a tragic end after falling victim to the flu at different times, leaving one to remain with her sister's lifeless body for days. Born in Brighton, England, on February 5, 1908, the twins were conjoined at the hips and buttocks, sharing blood circulation but possessing separate organs.
Highlights
- Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins, faced tragic deaths due to the flu, with one living days beside her deceased sister.
- Born in 1908, they were exploited for financial gain from a young age, touring as performers since they were three.
- After their Vaudeville career ended, the sisters worked at a grocery store until their deaths from the flu in 1969.
Daisy and Violet's mother, Kate Skinner, was an unmarried barmaid who sold them to her employer, Mary Hilton. Mary exploited the Hilton sisters for financial gain, exhibiting them at pubs and exercising physical violence to turn them into successful performers.
At just three years old, the sisters toured Britain as The United Twins before going abroad to Australia, Germany, and the US. When Mary died, the girls were bequeathed to Mary's daughter, Edith Myers, and her husband, Meyer.
Image credits: Progress Studio, New York
Image credits: Wikipedia
In an effort to set them apart from other conjoined twins in the entertainment industry, the Myers forced Daisy and Violet to practice the violin, clarinet, piano, and saxophone relentlessly to improve their “act.”
Despite reportedly being one of the highest-grossing acts in Vaudeville, earning $5,000 a week, which would be approximately $75,000 today, the performers saw little of these earnings.
The following year, they appeared in the MGM drama horror film "Freaks," which was set against the backdrop of a traveling French circus.
The girls were sold to a woman named Mary Hilton, who exploited them for financial gain
Image credits: Progress Studio, New York
However, in the 1920s and 1930s, Vaudeville entertainment was fading, and Burlesque shows were becoming increasingly popular. To continue with their careers, Violet and Daisy were forced to adapt. Their new act involved playing ukuleles, singing harmonies, and partial stripping. Their rebrand attempt failed to capture the audience's attention, with the girls being booed off stage on more than one occasion.
The artists' last public appearance was at a drive-in theater in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the 1960s. To their dismay, their tour manager suddenly disappeared from their lives, leaving them without a penny and forcing them to look for an alternative way to make a living.
The Hilton Sisters would go on to perform Vaudeville and burlesque shows
Image credits: Grunge
Daisy and Violet were then hired at a grocery store in Charlotte, where they worked for seven years. It's believed their employer designed a two-person cashier/weighing station for them so that customers couldn't tell that the sisters were conjoined.
On January 4, 1969, police forced the door of their home open after the twins failed to show up for work at the store or answer calls from their concerned co-workers.
There, officers discovered the lifeless bodies of the twins near a furnace vent, where they had crawled in an effort to keep warm.
The twins succumbed to the Hong Kong flu in 1969, with Daisy passing away between two to four days before her sister
Image credits: Grunge
An autopsy later revealed that Daisy had contracted the Hong Kong flu first, succumbing to it between two to four days before her sister also fell victim to the same illness.
Also known as the 1968 flu pandemic, the Hong Kong flu is among the deadliest pandemics in history, killing between 1 and 4 million people globally in 1968 and 1969.
Violet didn't call for any help during the time she spent living next to her deceased twin.
The sisters passed away at age 60.
A musical based on the Hilton twins, "Twenty Fingers, Twenty Toes," was produced in 1989 and ran for 35 performances. Daisy and Violet's story inspired the 1997 Broadway musical "Side Show," which received four Tony nominations.
"Must have been so scary knowing that your death is imminent," a social media user wrote
