Alice and Ellen Kessler, twins who were once beloved for their prowess as singers and entertainers, have died.
They were 89.
The siblings chose to end their lives via medical aid in dying on Nov. 17, according to the German Newspaper Bild. The newspaper said the two “no longer wanted to live” and “had chosen to end their lives together.” The two told Bild last year that they wanted their ashes to be buried in the same urn when they died. They will reportedly be buried together next to their mother and dog.
People Magazine said the two became stars internationally for their post-war entertainment through the 1950s and 1960s. Parade Magazine called them “icons of Italy’s golden age of television.”
The outlet said that police in Grunwald, Germany — where the sisters shared a conjoined flat – announced their death after responding to a call at the home. People Magazine said that while euthanasia is illegal in Germany, medical aid in denying is not because the individuals going that route must choose to take the drugs to end their lives themselves.
“Alice and Ellen Kessler left together, just as they live: inseparable,” a statement from Radio Monte Carlo on Instagram 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.”
Read the original article on pennlive.com.