{"id":943980,"date":"2026-10-28T13:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/943980\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T13:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:18:13","slug":"busteds-james-bourne-reveals-brother-saved-his-life-with-kidney-donation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/943980\/","title":{"rendered":"Busted\u2019s James Bourne reveals brother saved his life with kidney donation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Musician James Bourne was about to hit the road for a major tour<\/a> when doctors told him he had \u201ca few years left to live\u201d.<\/p>\n

After a year of secrecy, Bourne, 43, opened up about his health woes in his Spotify<\/a> bio, revealing his brother Chris saved his life through a kidney donation.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

James Bourne, left, says his brother Chris, right, saved his life.\u00a0X\/@JamesBourne<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, what the hell happened? One minute you\u2019re heading out on tour, the next thing you know you\u2019re on the bench and out of the game,\u201d Bourne, a member of English pop-punk band Busted, wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy condition was serious and the doctors told me I had a few years left to live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bourne said he was starting to feel better already and both brothers were recovering from surgery \u201cjust fine\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother is a hero,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Following his announcement, younger brother Chris<\/a> made his own post on Instagram<\/a>, sharing a photo of the duo as children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you find out that everything\u2019s going to be OK,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In response, fans expressed their support and gratitude for Chris.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no love like brotherly love. Well done Chris, for being there when James needed you most,\u201d one wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re both incredible, wishing you both speedy recoveries and that everything goes well from here on!\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

Chris shared this throwback photo of the brothers.\u00a0Instagram\/@chrisbourne<\/p>\n

The official Busted account posted a goat emoji, referencing him as the \u201cgreatest of all time\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bourne shocked fans by dropping out of Busted\u2019s tour alongside McFly<\/a> in September 2025.<\/p>\n

He revealed it was due to health issues, but did not go into specifics until now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I\u2019ve been all year for this tour to begin, I\u2019m really sorry to say that over the last eight days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

James Bourne, left, with his Busted bandmates Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis in 2023.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

In July, Bourne shared an update that he hoped to eventually return to performing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really sucks to be out of the game. But there is hope!\u201d<\/p>\n