Twin sisters who worked with entertainers including Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire have died on the same day after deciding together ‘they no longer wanted to live’
Twin sisters, who worked with entertainers including Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire, have died on the same day.
Alice and Ellen Kessler were best known as the Kessler Twins and worked with showbiz legends including Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Eddie Fisher.
This week it was reported that the sisters decided to end their lives together, dying on Monday in their home near Munich at the age of 89.
According to German newspaper Bild, the duo chose to die by medical aid, which is legal in Germany. The paper reports that the sisters ‘no longer wanted to live’ and ‘had chosen to end their lives together.’
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Assisted dying is not fully legal in Germany but a landmark 2020 Constitutional Court ruling declared the right to a self-determined death, making assisted suicide legally permissible but unregulated.
Assisted dying is currently illegal in the UK, and assisting someone to end their life is a criminal offence with potential prison sentences of up to 14 years. However, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is progressing through Parliament and if passed would legally permit assisted dying for terminally ill adults who meet strict criteria, including being able to self-administer the medication.
In 2014 the Kessler twins spoke about dying together and said they wanted their combined ashes to be placed in an urn after their death, along with the remains of their mother, Elsa, and their dog, Yello. "That’s what we stipulated in our will," Ellen said.
Local authorities reportedly confirmed on Monday that Ellen and Alice had died together at their home, which had adjoining residences separated by a dividing wall. They added that there was no indication of foul play in the dual deaths.
A tribute posted to Instagram by Radio Monte Carlo said that the Kessler twins ‘left together, just as they lived: inseparable.’
"Born in 1936, they were an absolute symbol of European spectacle, including music, dance and television. In Italy, they became celebrities as the “legs of the nation,” icon[s] of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.
The sisters were described as a ‘unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.’ They were born in the Nerchau area of Germany and started their careers as child ballet performers with the Leipzig Opera.
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In 1952, when they were just 16, the pair fled communist East Germany for West Germany, and went on to perform across Europe. Their rise in popularity saw them grab the attention of American stars including Elvis Presley who watched them on stage at Le Lido in Paris when he was stationed in West Germany after being drafted into the Army in 1958.
The sisters relocated to Italy in 1962, and the early ‘60s marked the beginning of their popularity in the US thanks to appearances on high-profile variety shows including The Ed Sullivan Show.
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