Musician James Bourne reveals his brother ‘saved his life’ with kidney donation after doctors gave him just years to live

Musician James Bourne was about to hit the road for a major tour when doctors told him he had “a few years left to live”.

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

“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,” Bourne, a member of English pop-punk band Busted, wrote.

“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.”

Bourne said he was starting to feel better already and both brothers were recovering from surgery “just fine”.

“My brother is a hero,” he concluded.

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Following his announcement, younger brother Chris made his own post on Instagram, sharing a photo of the duo as children.

“When you find out that everything’s going to be OK,” he said.

In response, fans expressed their support and gratitude for Chris.

“There’s no love like brotherly love. Well done Chris, for being there when James needed you most,” one wrote.

“You’re both incredible, wishing you both speedy recoveries and that everything goes well from here on!” said another.

The official Busted account posted a goat emoji, referencing him as the “greatest of all time”.

Bourne shocked fans by dropping out of Busted’s tour alongside McFly in September 2025.

He revealed it was due to health issues, but did not go into specifics until now.

“The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin, I’m 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,” he said at the time.

In July, Bourne shared an update that he hoped to eventually return to performing.

“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 said.

“It really sucks to be out of the game. But there is hope!”