Alice and Ellen Kessler, German twin entertainers who became national and international icons in the 1950s, died at the age of 89 through a jointly arranged assisted suicide, according to the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS), reports Baltimore Chronicle, with reference to CNN. Local police confirmed to CNN that officers attended an incident on Monday in the Munich suburb of Grünwald, where the sisters lived, without providing details regarding the circumstances.
DGHS stated that the twins had contacted the organization more than a year earlier, becoming members and receiving access to legal and medical support. DGHS spokesperson Wega Wetzel told CNN that the determining factor behind their decision appeared to be their long-expressed wish to die together on a chosen date, adding that she did not know the specific motivations each sister listed. She emphasized that their intention had been deliberate, consistent over time, and unconnected to any psychiatric crisis.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last year, Alice and Ellen Kessler explained their desire “to go away together on the same day,” noting that the thought of one sister dying before the other was unbearable. Ellen Kessler told German outlet Bild that they also wanted their ashes to be placed in a single urn alongside those of their mother, Elsa, and their dog, Yello.
Assisted dying under regulated conditions has been legal in Germany since a 2020 ruling by the country’s top court, which affirmed that individuals have the right to end their lives and may seek third-party assistance as long as their decision is free from external pressure. International and national support lines remain available for those facing suicidal thoughts or mental health difficulties.
The Kessler twins, known for their blonde coiffed hair, synchronized performances and musical versatility, embodied the post-war showgirl image of the 1950s and 1960s. They trained in classical ballet during childhood before fleeing East Germany in 1952 to continue their dance education. Their careers began at the renowned Lido cabaret in Paris, from which they quickly rose to broader stardom.
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the sisters had become major cultural figures. They represented Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, appeared several times on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” were featured on the cover of Life magazine, and socialized with entertainers such as Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Rock Hudson. Following the news of their deaths, “The Ed Sullivan Show” paid tribute to the pair on social media, describing them as “dazzling stars, true legends, and sisters whose grace, charm, and magic will shine forever.”
Their fame later expanded significantly in Italy, where they became the first showgirls to appear on national television and the first female performers permitted to reveal their legs on screen, according to Eurovision. Due to prevailing conservative Christian norms, they were required to wear opaque tights, yet became known as “the legs of the country.” When they posed nude for the Italian edition of Playboy in 1976, the issue sold out within three hours, Eurovision reported. Their influence in Italy remained so strong that public broadcaster RAI announced a comprehensive programming plan to commemorate their deaths, including news coverage and the rebroadcast of vintage shows.
The sisters continued performing long after the decline of the traditional showgirl era, making occasional appearances on German television and starring in a musical staged in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna between 2015 and 2016. Their personal lives were similarly intertwined; they lived in adjoining mirrored apartments and met daily for lunch, as they recounted to Corriere della Sera.
Alice and Ellen Kessler were born in a village now incorporated into the town of Grimma in Saxony. Grimma’s mayor, Tino Kießig, said in a statement on Monday that the town “mourns the loss of these two world-renowned personalities.”
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