Busted's James Bourne: my brother saved my life by donating a kidney

The key facts

James Bourne (43) left the joint Busted and McFly tour in September 2025 a day before it began due to health problems
He was replaced by his younger brother Chris, who then became a kidney donor
Both are recovering after the operations; Bourne has not disclosed details of his diagnosis

The donor was his brother, who had replaced him on tour

Busted guitarist and songwriter James Bourne has said his younger brother Chris saved his life by donating a kidney. According to the musician, doctors had previously warned him that he had 'a few years left to live'. Bourne wrote about this on Monday, 26 October, noting that both brothers are recovering after the operations. 'My brother is a hero,' he added, while Chris posted a short message on X: 'We did it, brother' (according to BBC News).

What led up to the operation

In September 2025, Bourne announced his departure from the line-up a day before the start of the joint Busted and McFly arena tour, citing health problems. It was Chris — the very brother who later became the donor — who replaced him. Bourne later said he needed major surgery to 'extend his life', but he did not disclose details of his condition either then or now.

The musician's career

Bourne rose to fame in the early 2000s alongside Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis in Busted: with hits such as What I Go To School For, Year 3000 and Crashed the Wedding, and four UK number-one singles before the band split in 2005. In 2013, he and Willis joined forces with McFly in the project McBusted, and in 2015 Busted fully reunited with Simpson's return. Bourne also wrote songs for McFly and 5 Seconds of Summer, fronted his own band Son of Dork, and recently released music from his musical Murder at the Gates.