The Kessler twins — a German entertainer duo who became famous both in the US and throughout Europe beginning in the 1950s — have died at 89 after choosing to end their lives together.
The performers, Alice and Ellen Kessler, both turned to assisted suicide on Monday, according to the German publication Bild.
The singing and dancing sisters reportedly died together in their home in Grünwald, near Munich.
The Kessler twins once were known for making the rounds on American talk shows and performing with multi-hyphenate entertainment giants, including Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr., among other stars.
According to Bild, the sisters ‘no longer wanted to live’ and ‘had chosen to end their lives together.’
Death by medical aid had essentially been banned in the wake of a 2015 German law outlawing the ‘commercial promotion of assisted suicide,’ according to the BBC.
Alice and Ellen Kessler, known as the Kessler twins, have died together in Grünwald, Germany, on Monday at 89 via assisted suicide. The two were an internationally famous singing-and-dancing duo who worked with stars including Frank Sintra, Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr.; pictured together in 1976
According to the German publication Bild, the sisters ‘no longer wanted to live’ and ‘had chosen to end their lives together’; pictured October 24 in Munich, Germany
However, a 2020 ruling by German’s top court overturned the ban. However, individuals seeking assistance in dying must still make the decision themselves, without any coercion.
The twins reportedly told Bild in 2024 that they wanted their ashes to be placed together 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, via Parade.
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,’ according to an automatic translation.
‘Born in 1936, they were an absolute symbol of European spectacle, including music, dance and television,’ the organization wrote. ‘In Italy, they became celebrities as the “legs of the nation,” icon[s] of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.
It added that the Kessler twins were a ‘unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.’
After being trained in ballet as children, they fled East Germany with their family in 1952. The Kessler twins became a popular dance act throughout Europe in the ’50s
They also established themselves as singers in the late ’50s. Elvis Presley reportedly became a fan after seeing them perform in Paris during his military service in Germany; pictured in 1961
The twins also became popular in the US beginning in the 1960s thanks to multiple appearances on talk and variety shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Red Skelton Hour; pictured circa the 1970s
The twins reportedly told Bild in 2024 that they wanted their ashes to be placed together 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, via Parade; pictured in 2014 in Munich
The sisters, who were reportedly born in the Nerchau area of Germany, started their entertainment careers as child ballet performers with the Leipzig Opera.
In 1952, when they were just 16, the Kesslers fled communist East German for West Germany, from where they were able to perform across Europe.
Their popular performances also brought them to the attention of American musicians and performances, including Elvis Presley, who reportedly saw them perform at Le Lido in Paris when he was stationed in West Germany after being drafted into the Army in 1958.
Beginning in the late 1950s, the Kessler twins diversified their act by focusing on singing, both on screen and on records.
The Kessler twins later 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 and The Red Skelton Hour.
In 1986, Alice and Ellen moved back to West Germany, settling in Grünwald, where they would end their lives together nearly 40 years later.
