Entertainment duo Alice and Ellen Kessler, German twins who shot to superstardom in the post World War II era, died together by joint assisted suicide, the German Society for Humane Dying said Tuesday.
The women died on Monday at the age 89 in their home Grünwald, a quiet suburb just outside Munich, according to Bild. The German newspaper additionally reported that the sisters “no longer wanted to live” and “they had chosen to end their lives together.” Police were reportedly notified after the process was completed.
Assisted dying, under certain circumstances, has been legal in Germany since 2020. The law allows people to end their lives and to seek help from a third party as long as they aren’t subject to external influences.
The German Society for Humane Dying also confirmed the twin’s death in a statement to CNN, adding that they reached out about a year ago to the advocacy organization, which provides assistance, including access to lawyers and doctors.
“The decisive factor is likely to have been the desire to die together on a specific date,” DGHS spokesperson Wega Wetzel said. She also noted that “their desire to die was well-considered, long-standing, and free from any psychiatric crisis.”
The twins had previously expressed their desire to die together as recently as last year, during an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. They said they wanted “to go away together on the same day.”
“The idea that one of us might get it first is very hard to bear,” they added.
“The Ed Sullivan Show” — on which the twins appeared on several occasions — honored them with an online tribute, remembering the performers as “dazzling stars, true legends and sisters whose grace, charm and magic will shine forever.”
Radio Monte Carlo also paid homage to the twin entertainers, known for singing and dancing their way through the ‘50s and ‘60s, with a social media post of its own.
“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,’ icons of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties,” it wrote.
“A unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.”
