The Kessler twins — famed performers who once shared the stage with icons such as Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire — died on Monday through medical aid.
According to reports from the German outlet Bild, Alice and Ellen Kessler, both 89, died together at their home near Munich after deciding they “no longer wanted to live” and choosing to “end their lives together.”
Born in 1936, the sisters rose to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s, representing West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, where they earned an eighth-place finish and widespread acclaim for their duet.
Their success only grew from there. The 1960s variety program Studio Uno helped solidify their status as international entertainers, while their appearance on the cover of Playboy further propelled them into pop-culture stardom.
On Monday, November 19, Alice and Ellen died at home with the assistance of medical aid.
Since 2019, dying by medical aid has been legal in Germany. It is distinct from euthanasia — which remains illegal across Europe — where a healthcare professional directly administers a life-ending substance.
Dying through medical aid requires that the patient administer a prescribed substance themselves, and it is permitted only when the individual acts “responsibly and of their own free will.”
In the case of the Kessler twins, authorities were notified of their deaths and quickly ruled out any suspicion of foul play. In an interview with Bild last year, Alice and Ellen had expressed their wish to be laid to rest together in the same urn. Following the news of their passing, Radio Monte Carlo honored the iconic duo with a tribute on Instagram.
“Alice and Ellen Kessler left together, just as they lived: inseparable,” the statement read. “Born in 1936, they were an absolute symbol of European spectacle — music, dance, and television. In Italy, they rose to fame as the ‘legs of the nation,’ icons of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.”
“A unique artistic pair, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.”
Rest in peace, Alice and Ellen Kessler.
