Bennett was in the latter stages of heart illness when he died at the age of 58, and he was unable to get a human heart. He and his physicians made the decision to take a chance and have his heart transplanted into a genetically engineered pig.

Reports in the Independent say the hospital has confirmed the patient's death after receiving the news. There were no specifics provided concerning the patient's illness or the circumstances surrounding his death.

The treatment was performed in January and lasted seven hours, during which time David reported feeling well.

The procedure, which was carried out by a team from the University of Maryland Medicine, is one of the first of its kind to demonstrate the viability of transplanting a pig's heart into a human body, an area made possible by modern gene-editing technologies.

It came down to either dying or undergoing this transplant. I really want to live. According to a statement released by the university, Bennett remarked the day before the operation that he was aware that he was taking a "blind shot," but that it was his final opportunity.