The Kessler twins – who once performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire – died on Monday by medical aid.
Reports in German publication Bild state that Alice and Ellen Kessler, aged 89, died at their home near Munich as they ‘no longer wanted to live’ and had opted to ‘end their lives together’.
The sisters, born in 1936, initially found fame in the ’50s and ’60s after representing West Germany in then Eurovision Song Contest in 1959. They managed eighth place that year, drawing praise for their duet.
The 1960s variety show Studio Uno saw them bolster their reputation, while featuring on the cover issue of Playboy Magazine catapulted them to stardom.
Yesterday, Monday, November 19, Alice and Ellen died at their home via medical aid.
As per reports, dying by medical aid has been legal in Germany since 2019. There is a notable difference between dying by medical aid and dying by euthanasia (illegal in Europe) which is when a healthcare provider directly administers a life-ending substance.
Alice und Ellen Kessler – Die Kessler Zwillinge bei einem TV-Showauftritt, circa 1976. Alice and Ellen Kessler – The Kessler Twins at a TV-Show, 1976. (Photo by Arthur Grimm/United Archives via Getty Images)
Dying via medical aid sees a patient instead administer a prescribed drug themselves, and is legal when the individual in question ‘acts responsibly and of their own free will’.
In the case of the Kessler twins, police were reportedly informed that the sisters had passed away and immediately ruled out foul play. Speaking to German outlet Bild last year, Alice and Ellen revealed they wanted to be buried in the same urn after their deaths.
Following their passing, Radio Monte Carlo posted a tribute to Alice and Ellen 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, including music, dance and television. In Italy, they became celebrities as the ‘legs of the nation,’ icon of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.”
“A unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.”
Rest in peace, Alice and Ellen Kessler.
