The first person to receive a face transplant in the US after her husband shot her has died.
"Inspirational" Connie Culp, from Ohio, underwent the pioneering operation in 2008 after her husband Thomas Culp blasted her at point-blank range in a failed murder-suicide.
The Cleveland Clinic, who carried out the surgery, confirmed she had passed away aged 57, reports the Mirror.
Dr Frank Papay, chair of the clinic's dermatology and plastic surgery institute, said: "Connie was an incredibly brave, vibrant woman and an inspiration to many.
"Her strength was evident in the fact that she had been the longest-living face transplant patient to date.
"She was a great pioneer and her decision to undergo a sometimes-daunting procedure is an enduring gift for all of humanity."
Dr Papay was part of a team of surgeons who treated Connie over the past 12 years.
Surgeons replaced 80 per cent of her face including a nose, cheeks, palate, upper jaw, lower eyelids and some of her bone structure.
Her face was obliterated in the gun attack by her "jealous" husband in September 2004.
After shooting his wife at the bar they owned, he then put the gun in his own mouth and pulled the trigger, causing severe injuries. But like Connie, he survived.
Connie - mum to Steven, 30, and Alicia, 28 - spent months in hospital as surgeons tried to save her face.
She visited her ex-husband in prison after his sentencing but later filed for divorce and moved out of the home they had shared in Bloomingdale.
Connie underwent more than 30 painful operations and led a reclusive life for four years before finally being put on the face transplant waiting list in October 2008.
Medics were able to find a match from a local woman just two months later and she underwent the 22-hour operation.
Connie was described as "an inspiration to all" by "saddened" staff at the Cleveland Clinic in a statement on Friday.
Her cause of her death has not been confirmed.
