Alice and Ellen Kessler, the legendary German twin performers who became international stars in the 1950s and 1960s, have died at the age of 89 through a joint assisted suicide, according to the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS).
The organization confirmed Tuesday that both sisters had been members for more than a year and had carefully planned their decision.
Local police told THNEWS that officers were dispatched Monday afternoon to Grünwald, the upscale Munich suburb where the twins lived, but did not reveal further details about the call.
DGHS said the sisters’ decision was deliberate, long-considered, and made without any psychiatric crisis. A spokesperson noted that the twins were determined to pass away together on a chosen date.
All About Alice and Ellen Kessler
In a 2023 interview with Corriere della Sera, the Kessler sisters openly discussed their desire to leave the world on the same day, explaining that the idea of one twin dying before the other was unbearable. Ellen also shared last year that they wished for their ashes to rest in the same urn beside their mother, Elsa, and their beloved dog, Yello.
Assisted dying is legal in Germany under specific circumstances, following a 2020 ruling that allows individuals to seek help in ending their lives if the decision is made freely and without external pressure.
With their signature blonde coiffed hair, striking legs, and remarkable talent for dance and song, Alice and Ellen Kessler defined the showgirl era of the 1950s and ’60s. After training in classical ballet and escaping East Germany in 1952, the twins launched their careers at the famed Lido cabaret in Paris, quickly rising to international fame.
They represented Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, graced the cover of Life magazine, and moved in elite entertainment circles alongside icons like Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Rock Hudson.
The Ed Sullivan Show paid tribute to them on social media, calling the sisters “dazzling stars, true legends, and sisters whose magic will shine forever.”
The Kesslers became equally adored in Italy, where they made history as the first showgirls to appear on Italian television and the first women to reveal their legs on screen, though even then, strict cultural norms required them to wear opaque tights.
Their legs were famously nicknamed “the legs of the country,” cementing their status as pioneers of European entertainment.
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