{"id":612878,"date":"2026-05-31T00:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T00:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/612878\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T00:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T00:32:20","slug":"actress-kelly-curtis-sister-of-jamie-lee-curtis-dies-aged-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/612878\/","title":{"rendered":"Actress Kelly Curtis, sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, dies aged 69"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-143782268-7154.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28582732\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tKelly Curtis, a film and TV star and Jamie Lee Curtis\u2019s sister, has died (Picture: Brian To\/FilmMagic)<\/p>\n<p>Kelly Curtis, an actress who was the beloved sister of <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/jamie-lee-curtis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jamie Lee Curtis<\/a>, has died aged 69.<\/p>\n<p>Freak Friday icon Jamie Lee, 67, has confirmed that her older sibling died this morning but did not share details of the cause.<\/p>\n<p>Paying tribute, the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/halloween\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Halloween<\/a> film legend wrote on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/instagram\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a> alongside an old snap of Kelly: \u2018A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/facebook\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>, and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/pokemon\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Jamie Lee added affectionately that Kelly \u2018will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>And in a final nod to her late sister, she concluded: \u2018Kelly always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing\u2026 Isten Veled, God is with you.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I\u2019ll see you on down the line.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Jamie Lee\u2019s post was quickly flooded with comments of condolence, with Ariana DeBose writing: \u2018Sending you so much\ud83e\udd0d\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Writer Heidi Clements said: \u2018She will always be with you.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Chris Connelly also shared a sweet tribute: \u2018I\u2019m so terribly sad to see this and so sorry for your loss. She joined our high school class senior year, and it was as if she\u2019d stepped off a meteorite. Walked in beauty, like the night. Quoted lyrics from Tumbleweed Connection on her senior page in our yearbook. Into our NYC world, she was the coolest breeze of fresh air ..and always to be remembered.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Born in Santa Monica, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/california\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">California<\/a>, Kelly graduated with a business degree and briefly worked as a stockbroker. She began acting when she was young, with her first silver screen appearance being The Vikings (1958), which co-starred her parents.<\/p>\n<p>Her best-known on-screen work includes the 1983 <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/comedy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">comedy<\/a>-drama film Trading Places and the TV series\u00a0The Sentinel as Lieutenant Carolyn Plummer.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2270429-e3f8.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28582768\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tKelly pictured in 2003 with sister Jamie Lee, step-father Bob Brandt, and her mother, actress Janet Leigh (Picture: Kevin Winter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-1480025767-f321.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28582775\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tJanet Leigh (centre) had a film career spanning 50 years (Picture: Ralph Dominguez\/MediaPunch via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>She had smaller roles in the German comedy movie Magic Sticks (1987) and in Italian horror flick The Devil\u2019s Daughter (1991).<\/p>\n<p>TV-wise, she appeared in episodes of The Equalizer,\u00a0Kojak,\u00a0and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.<\/p>\n<p>Her final role came in 1999 in an episode of the legal television drama Judging Amy.<\/p>\n<p>Off-camera, Kelly was a children\u2019s author.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, she was a producer and is credited as a production assistant on Jamie\u2019s famous films\u00a0Freaky Friday (2003)\u00a0and\u00a0You Again (2010).<\/p>\n<p>She is survived by her husband, playwright and producer Scott Morfee, whom she wed in 1989.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2369129-2a98.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28582894\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tPictured here at the premiere of Freaky Friday, Kelly was a production assistant on the comedy (Picture: Carlo Allegri\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-86960645-c835-e1780163066910.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28582891\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tJamie Lee said her sister was \u2018at peace\u2019 when she died (Picture: Jeffrey Mayer\/WireImage)<\/p>\n<p>Kelly and Jamie Lee\u2019s parents were also in showbiz \u2013 <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/oscars\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oscar<\/a> nominees Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, who were married from 1951 to 1962.<\/p>\n<p>Jamie Lee, whose films have grossed over $2.5billion (\u00a31.9bn), certainly followed in her mother\u2019s footsteps, as Janet Leigh was established as one of the earliest scream queens for her horror film roles and had a career lasting 50 years.<\/p>\n<p>Most notably, she played Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s Psycho (1960).<\/p>\n<p>She died in October 2007, aged 77, after a battle with\u00a0vasculitis, a group of rare conditions that damage the blood vessels.<\/p>\n<p>As for Tony, his career spanned six decades, and he appeared in over 100 films in various genres, including Some Like It Hot (1959).<\/p>\n<p>In September 2010, he died at his home from a cardiac arrest. Five months prior, he rewrote his will, leaving his entire estate\u00a0to his sixth wife, horse trainer Jill Vandenberg, and disinheriting all five of his surviving children by name, leaving no explanation for why.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Got a story?<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/05\/29\/madonna-fans-demand-details-reveals-best-sex-life-28571701\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Madonna fans demand \u2018details\u2019 after surprising confession about best sex of her life<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/05\/29\/lisa-kudrow-mistaken-dionne-warwick-sorry-28570352\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lisa Kudrow was once mistaken for Dionne Warwick and we\u2019re sorry, what?<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/05\/25\/inside-life-marriage-beartooth-frontman-comes-gay-28513873\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Inside the life and marriage of Beartooth frontman as he comes out as gay<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tComments<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source<br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kelly Curtis, a film and TV star and Jamie Lee Curtis\u2019s sister, has died (Picture: Brian To\/FilmMagic) Kelly&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,96,2332,11312,56,54,55,3335],"class_list":["post-612878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-jamie-lee-curtis","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us-showbiz-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}