  Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are believed to be evolved, extremely massive
stars close to the Eddington Limit and hence prone to bouts of large-scale,
unstable mass loss. I discuss current understanding of the evolutionary state
of these objects, the role duplicity may play and known physical
characteristics of these stars using the X-ray luminous LBVs Eta Carinae and HD
5980 as test cases.
