Alice and Ellen Kessler who spent more than six decades shaping European entertainment, have died at 89 in what is being reported as a joint assisted suicide.
Image: Picture: Instagram/retrosspection
Alice and Ellen Kessler, the identical twins who became two of Germany’s most recognisable entertainers, have died at 89 in what’s being reported as a joint assisted suicide.
Police were called to their home outside Munich on Monday. While officials didn’t reveal details, the German Humanist Association confirmed that the sisters chose an assisted death - a decision already raising conversations about autonomy, ageing and the right to choose your own ending.
Assisted suicide allows a person to end their life with prescribed medication under strict medical guidelines. It’s only legal in a limited number of places, including Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain and a few US states.
Even in countries where it’s legal, it remains rare. In Switzerland, assisted deaths make up roughly 1-2% of all deaths. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the numbers sit around 4-5%. Germany only secured this right in 2020 after its Constitutional Court ruled that deciding when to die is part of personal autonomy.
Born in 1936, they trained at the Leipzig Opera Ballet and fled East Germany as teenagers, rebuilding their careers in the West. By the late 50s and 60s, they were stars in Germany and Italy, appearing on "Studio Uno," performing on international stages, and sharing screens with Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire.
"Eurovision", "Playboy Italia" and "The Ed Sullivan Show", they did it all. They never married or had children, spending a lifetime side by side, building a partnership that was as personal as it was professional.
Known for their matching platinum-blonde hair, long legs, and immaculate costumes, they were often referred to as Europe’s most glamorous twins. Their look embodied discipline, precision and presence.
Their stage act was defined by perfect alignment, not just in dance routines but even in posture and presentation, which made them a standout duo.
You're probably wondering why they chose not to get married or have children. The Kessler twins made independence from man a rule of life, a lesson hammered home by a turbulent childhood.
The Keller twins were also known for their long legs.
Image: Picture: X/@lafoliedumonde_
“Domestic violence was a daily occurrence. Our father was a drunk who often beat and humiliated our mother,” Ellen told "Bunte". That kind of upbringing left little room for dependency, and the sisters carried that lesson into adulthood.
“We never made ourselves dependent on men,” Alice said. They were fiercely protective of their freedom, deliberately choosing careers that demanded discipline and travel, and making conscious decisions about relationships and family.
They felt they hadn’t missed out on anything in love: “We had our fill of life,” said Alice. And their childlessness was a conscious choice. “We never wanted to be mothers," Ellen added.
Their reported joint decision to pursue assisted suicide is extraordinary.
Coordinated end-of-life choices like this are scarce, requiring clear mental competence and long-term intention.
For the sisters, it’s a continuation of the autonomy they exercised their entire lives, taking control, moving in sync, and making decisions together.
While heartbreaking, it also forces a wider conversation about what dignity means in old age and how society views the right to die. The Kessler Sisters leave behind extended family, colleagues, and generations of fans who grew up watching them perform.