This list of notable organ transplant donors and recipients includes people who were the first to undergo certain organ transplant procedures or were people who made significant contributions to their chosen field and who have either donated or received an organ transplant at some point in their lives, as confirmed by public information.
Survival statistics
Survival statistics depend greatly on the age of donor, age of recipient, skill of the transplant center, compliance of the recipient, whether the organ came from a living or deceased donor and overall health of the recipient. Median survival rates can be quite misleading, especially for the relatively small sample that is available for these organs. Survival rates improve almost yearly, due to improved techniques and medications. This example is from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), the USA umbrella organization for transplant centers. Up-to-date data can be obtained from the UNOS website.
| Transplant Type | Median survival |
|---|---|
| Liver transplant | 16 years |
| Heart transplant | 10 years |
| Kidney transplant | 16 years |
Notable first procedures
| Procedure | Doctor in charge of transplant | Name of recipient | Organ donated by | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First corneal transplant | Eduard Zirm | Alois Glogar | Karl Brauer | December 7, 1905 | |||
| First human kidney transplant | Joseph Murray | Richard Herrick | Ronald Herrick (twin brother) | December 23, 1954 | Approx. 8 years | ||
| First human liver transplant | Thomas Starzl | First transplant was unsuccessful. The first successful liver transplant was performed by Starzl four years later. | 1963 | ||||
| First human lung transplant | James D. Hardy | First transplant was unsuccessful. The first successful lung transplant was performed in 1983 by Joel Cooper. | 1963 | ||||
| First human heart transplant | Christiaan Barnard | Louis Washkansky | Denise Darvall | Transplant was only good for 18 days. Washkansky died on December 21, 1967. | December 3, 1967 | 18 days | |
| First Heart and Lung Transplant | Brenda Barber | 1984 - UK's first successful heart and lung transplant | 1984 | 10 years | |||
| First human hand transplant | Earl Owen and Jean-Michel Dubernard | Clint Hallam | The transplanted hand was removed at request of recipient after about two and a half years on February 2, 2001. | September 23, 1998 | |||
| First human pancreas transplant | Richard Lillehei and William Kelly | Anonymous "young woman" | Patient survived for 4+1⁄2 months and died in May 1967 of a lung infection and pneumonia. | December 16, 1966 | |||
| First partial human face transplant | Jean-Michel Dubernard and Bernard Devauchelle | Isabelle Dinoire | Dinoire's body rejected the transplant in 2015 and she lost part of the use of her lips. The daily immunosuppressive drugs she was required to take left her vulnerable to cancer which later claimed her life. | November 27, 2005 | 10 years | ||
| First transplant of a human organ grown from adult stem cells | |||||||
| First human penis transplant | Transplant was done to a 21-year-old male with penis amputation due to problem of circumcision before. | December 2014 |
Notable recipients
Multiple Organ Transplant
Corneal transplant
| Name | Life | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandy Patinkin | (1952–) | Actor. He suffered from keratoconus, a degenerative eye disease, in the mid-1990s. This led to two corneal transplants; his right cornea in 1997, and his left in 1998. | 1997, 1998 | ||
| Nicholas Currie, also known as Momus | (1960–) | Scottish musician, journalist, and performance artist. Underwent transplant after infection from acanthamoeba keratitis, resulting in improved vision. | 1999 |
Heart transplants
See also Category:Heart transplant recipients
| Name | Life | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Altman | (1925–2006) | Film Director. Announced the transplant at the 78th Academy Awards in 2005 while accepting his Lifetime Achievement Oscar. Altman said, "I'm here under false pretenses … Eleven years ago I had a heart transplant, a total heart transplant. I got the heart of, I think, a young woman who was in about in her late thirties. By that kind of calculation you may be giving this award too early because I think I've got about 40 years left." | 1995 | 11 years | |
| Robert P. Casey | (1932–2000) | 41st Governor of Pennsylvania. Announced that he needed a rare heart/liver transplant due to a rare genetic condition in which proteins invade and destroy major bodily organs. Shortly after the announcement, Casey received the heart and liver from a 35-year-old African-American male who was killed in an auto accident near Erie, Pennsylvania. The short time between the announcement and the operation lead to accusations that Casey was secretly placed on the top of the waiting list, along with sparking an urban legend that the donor was "killed" by the Pennsylvania State Police in order to "harvest" the organs. | 1993 | 6 years | |
| Dick Cheney | (1941–) | Vice President of the United States 2001–2009. Received his heart transplant on March 24, 2012, at Inova Fairfax Hospital | March 24, 2012 | ||
| Erik Compton | (1979–) | American professional golfer | 1992, 2008 | ||
| Glen Gondrezick | (1953–2009) | American basketball player, formerly in the NBA, and broadcaster. | September 20, 2008 | 7 months | |
| Jonathan Hardy | (1940–2012) | New Zealand actor. Starred as voice of Rygel on Farscape; wrote the screenplay for Breaker Morant and was nominated for an Academy Award. | 1988 | 24 years | |
| Billy T. James | (1948–1991) | New Zealand comedian and entertainer. | 1989 | 2 years | |
| Simon Keith | (1965–) | British Professional Footballer. Recognized as the first athlete to play a professional sport after undergoing a heart transplant. | 1986, 2019 | 35 years | |
| Eddie Large | (1941–2020) | British comedian. One half of the comedy duo Little and Large. | 2002 | 18 years | |
| Mussum | (1941–1994) | Brazilian actor, singer and comedian. | July 12, 1994 | 17 days | |
| Norton Nascimento | (1962–2007) | Brazilian actor. | December 19, 2003 | 4 years | |
| Kelly Perkins | (1961–) | Author and noted world-class mountain climber who has set world records as the first ever heart transplant recipient to scale the most famous mountains in the world. | 1995 | ||
| Jerry Richardson | (1938–) | American businessman and principal owner of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. | February 1, 2009 | ||
| Sandro | (1945–2010) | Argentine singer and actor. He died after complications of a heart–lung transplant. | November 20, 2009 | 45 days | |
| Carroll Shelby | (1923–2012) | American entrepreneur famous for his race car driving and automotive developments in designing the cult-classic Shelby Cobras and Ford's Shelby Mustang. Carroll Shelby received a heart transplant in 1990, then in 1996, a living donor kidney transplant from his son. Carroll died May 10, 2012, at the age of 89. | Heart: 1990; Kidney: 1996 | Heart: 22 years; Kidney: 16 years | |
| Cal Stoll | (1923-2000) | American football player and coach. | Heart: 1987 | Heart: 13 years | |
| Frank Torre | (1931–2014) | American baseball player, brother of Joe Torre. | Heart: 1996; Kidney: 2007 | Heart: 18 years; Kidney: 7 years |
Kidney transplants
See also Category:Kidney transplant recipients
| Name | Life | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erma Bombeck | (1927–1996) | Comedian. Diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. She was on the transplant list prior to her diagnosis with breast cancer, and was removed from the list while being treated as is standard procedure. She was placed back on the list after her treatment was completed, and died from complications of the transplant surgery. | April 3, 1996 | 20 days | |
| Steven Cojocaru | (1965–) | Fashion critic and member of Entertainment Tonight. In November 2004 he announced that he was suffering from polycystic kidney disease and would require a kidney transplant. He underwent transplant surgery on January 14, 2005, after his friend Abby Finer donated one of her kidneys. Later, the kidney became infected by a virus, and in June 2005 he underwent a second operation to have the new kidney removed. On August 17, he announced that his body was free of the viral infection and that he was ready to find a new transplant. He then received a second kidney transplant, which was donated by his mother. | 2005 | ||
| Natalie Cole | (1950–2015) | Singer-songwriter | May 20, 2009 | 6 years | |
| Gary Coleman | (1968–2010) | Actor who played Arnold on Diff'rent Strokes. Received two separate kidney transplants, one in 1973 and another in 1984. | 26 years (from second transplant) | ||
| Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland | (1973–) | Prince of Sweden, husband of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and former personal trainer and gym owner. Underwent a kidney transplant at Karolinska University Hospital, his father was the donor. | May 27, 2009 | ||
| Lucy Davis | (1973–) | Actress best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy, The Office. Kidney received in 1997, which was donated by her mother. | 1997 | ||
| Kenny Easley | (1959–) | Former NFL player | June 7, 1990 | ||
| Aron Eisenberg | (1969–2019) | Actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | December 29, 2015 | 4 years | |
| Sean Elliott | (1968–) | NBA basketball star. The kidney was donated by his brother. Elliott made history by returning to play in the NBA following his surgery. | August 16, 1999 | ||
| Selena Gomez | (1992–) | Actress and singer. The kidney was donated by Gomez's best friend, actress Francia Raisa. | 2017 | ||
| Jennifer Harman | (1964–) | Poker player; only woman to win two open events in the World Series of Poker. Had two separate kidney transplants. | |||
| Ken Howard | (1932–) | English artist who was president of the New English Art Club from 1998 to 2003. | 2000 | ||
| Ivan Klasnić | (1980–) | Croatian international footballer. After kidney failure in late 2006, he underwent an unsuccessful transplant in January 2007, followed by a successful one from his father two months later. He returned to action with Werder Bremen in November, and played at Euro 2008, becoming the first kidney transplant patient to play in a major football finals. | March 13, 2007 | ||
| Jimmy Little | (1937–2012) | Australian country/rock artist. | February 2004 | 8 years | |
| Jonah Lomu | (1975–2015) | New Zealand All Blacks rugby union player. The kidney was donated by Wellington radio presenter Grant Kereama. Lomu came back to professional rugby in 2005, though not with his past success. | July 28, 2004 | 11 years | |
| George Lopez | (1961–) | Actor-comedian and star of the George Lopez TV series. Kidney transplant from his wife, Ann Lopez, in April 2005 | April 2005 | ||
| Sarah Hyland | (1990–) | American actress. | April 13, 2012 | ||
| Tracy Morgan | (1968–) | American actor and comedian. | December 2010 | ||
| Alonzo Mourning | (1970–) | NBA basketball star. Like Elliott, Mourning returned to play in the NBA following his surgery; he retired in January 2009, not having played since 2007 due to a serious leg injury. | December 19, 2003 | ||
| Kerry Packer | (1937–2005) | His long-serving helicopter pilot, Nick Ross, donated one of his own kidneys to Packer for transplantation. | 2000 | 5 years | |
| Charles Perkins | (1936–2000) | Australian soccer player, Aboriginal activist and government minister. | 1972 | 28 years | |
| Billy Preston | (1946–2006) | An American soul musician from Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. | 2002 | 4 years | |
| Neil Simon | (1927–2018) | His long-time publicist, Bill Evans. | 2004 | 14 years | |
| Ron Springs | (1956–2011) | Former NFL player. Kidney donated by former Dallas Cowboys teammate Everson Walls. | February 28, 2007 | See footnote | |
| Tina Turner | (1939–) | Singer and Actress. Kidney donated by husband Erwin Bach. | 2014 |
Liver transplants
See also Category:Liver transplant recipients
| Name | Life | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Abidal | (1979–) | French footballer. | April 10, 2012 | ||
| Gregg Allman | (1947–2017) | American musician best known as the leader of The Allman Brothers Band. | June 23, 2010 | 7 years | |
| George Best | (1946–2005) | British football player. | July 30, 2002 | 3 years | |
| David Bird | (1959–2014) | American journalist; underwent transplant as a result of contracting hepatitis | 2004 | 10 years | |
| Jack Bruce | (1943–2014) | British musician most famous as a member of the 1960s band Cream. Diagnosed with liver cancer several months before the transplant. | September 19, 2003 | 11 years | |
| Robert P. Casey | (1932–2000) | 41st Governor of Pennsylvania. Received new liver during same operation in which he received a new heart. | 1993 | 6 years | |
| David Crosby | (1941–2023) | Rock-folk musician most famous as a member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, & Nash. | November 1994 | 28 years | |
| Gerald Durrell | (1925–1995) | Founder of Jersey Zoo, author, television presenter, conservationist | 28 March 1994 | 9 months approx | |
| Shelley Fabares | (1944–) | Actress and singer who starred on the sitcom Coach. | 2000 | ||
| Freddy Fender | (1937–2006) | A country, and rock and roll musician. Diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2000. | 2004 | Approximately 2 years | |
| Superstar Billy Graham | (1943–) | A former professional wrestler. Had a liver transplant after his was destroyed by hepatitis C, which he suspects was caught through blood spilt during a match. | 2002 | ||
| Larry Hagman | (1931–2012) | Actor, best known for playing J.R. Ewing on the soap opera Dallas | 1995 | 17 years | |
| Steve Jobs | (1955–2011) | American businessman; cofounder and CEO of Apple Inc. and former CEO of Pixar. In 2004 he had a cancerous tumor removed from his pancreas. | April 2009 | 2 years | |
| Chris Klug | (1972–) | Professional snowboarder who received a liver transplant to treat primary sclerosing cholangitis. Went on to compete in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. This was the first, and so far only time, a transplantee had competed in the Olympics, either the Winter or Summer Olympics. | 2000 | ||
| Evel Knievel | (1938–2007) | A stuntperson, best known for his public displays of long distance, high-altitude motorcycle jumping. He had a liver transplant as a result of hepatitis C, which he believed was contracted during an operation. | January 29, 1999 | Almost 9 years | |
| Phil Lesh | (1940–) | A musician and a founder member of the band the Grateful Dead, in which he played bass guitar. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1992. | 1998 | ||
| Linda Lovelace | (1949–2002) | A pornographic actress, most notable for the movie Deep Throat (1972). She contracted hepatitis C from a blood transfusion after an automobile accident in 1969. | 1987 | 15 years | |
| Mickey Mantle | (1931–1995) | Hall of Fame baseball player. Mantle died a couple of months later of liver cancer, which spread to his new liver. | 1995 | 2 months | |
| Jim Nabors | (1930–2017) | Actor-singer-comedian, best known for playing Gomer Pyle in The Andy Griffith Show and its spinoff Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | 1994 | 23 years | |
| John Phillips | (1935–2001) | Singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as founder and leader of The Mamas & the Papas. | 1992 | Approximately 9 years | |
| Lou Reed | (1942–2013) | American rock musician and songwriter. | 2013 | 5 months |
Lung transplants
See also Category:Lung transplant recipients
| Name | Life | Comments | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandro | (1945–2010) | Argentine singer and actor. He died after complications of a heart–lung transplant. | November 20, 2009 | 45 days | |
| Ann Harrison | (1944–2001) | Recipient and long term survivor of the world's first human double-lung transplant | November 26, 1986 | 15 years | |
| Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick | (1983–2019) | American soprano. | September 2009 | 10 years |
Notable donors
| Name | Life | Comments | Organ(s) donated | Date of transplant | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zell Kravinsky | (1954–) | American Investor known for donating over $45 million of his personal wealth to charity. Donated kidney to a stranger. | Kidney | |||
| Dick Cass | (1946–) | President of the Baltimore Ravens football team, donated kidney to law school friend | Kidney | |||
| Jake Garn | (1932–) | U.S. Senator/Space Shuttle specialist, donated a kidney to his daughter | Kidney | September 1986 | ||
| Nicholas Green | (1987–1994) | American boy who was killed in Italy. His parents chose to donate his organs. | Various | October 1994 | N/A; organs donated upon death | |
| Jon-Erik Hexum | (1957–1984) | American model and actor. | Heart, kidneys and corneas | October 1984 | N/A; organs donated upon death | |
| Virginia Postrel | (1960–) | Donated kidney to her friend Sally Satel | Kidney | March 2006 | ||
| Dr. Rajkumar | (1929–2006) | Popular Indian film personality who donated his eyes after death and inspired thousands others to pledge their eyes. | Eyes | April 2006 | N/A; organs donated upon death | |
| Oscar Robertson | (1938–) | Basketball Hall of Famer. Donated kidney to his daughter Tia. | Kidney | 1997 | ||
| Neda Soltan | (1983–2009) | Iranian martyr, a bystander at a political protest, her death was recorded by cell phone cameras. | Various | Circa June 20, 2009 | N/A; organs donated upon death | |
| Angélico Vieira | (1982–2011) | Portuguese actor and singer. | Pancreas, liver and kidneys | Circa June 2011 | N/A; organs donated upon death | |
| Everson Walls | (1959–) | Former NFL player, donated kidney to former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs. | Kidney | February 28, 2007 | ||
| Olle Westling | (1945–) | Swedish socionom and municipal civil servant, donated kidney to his son Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. | Kidney | May 27, 2009 | ||
| Justin Wilson | (1978–2015) | British racing driver. | Various | Circa August 2015 | N/A; organs donated upon death |