German sisters the Kessler Twins, who came to fame in the 1950s and ’60s, as they entertained post-World War II crowds, chose to end their lives together Monday in their home near Munich according to German newspaper Bild.
The sisters, Alice and Ellen, both 89, opted to die by medical aid, which is legal in Germany.
Authorities confirmed their deaths in Grünwald, where they shared adjoining flats divided by a sliding wall.
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Born in the Nerchau area of Germany in 1936, per Parade, the sisters performed with the Leipzig Opera as children. By the time they were teenagers, the singers and dancers shared the stage with the likes of Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, as they toured the United States and Europe.
In the following years, the Kesslers became known for their appearances of on popular Italian TV shows, such as Giardino d’inverno and Studio Uno. They were nicknamed “the nation’s legs.”
Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty
Alice and Ellen Kessler have died at 89
In a 2015 interview with Eurovision Radio International, the women named an appearance on The Red Skelton Show as the point where they became a hit in the United States. (The duo also appeared on The Dean Martin Show and The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966 and 1967.)
“It was very successful, and we got a Life magazine title. And, if you get a title on Life magazine, you know, your career starts immediately, and that’s what happened,” one of them said. “And so we did many, many television shows in the United States.”
And yet, they told the interviewer, they didn’t feel tough competition Stateside.
“No, no, because we were twins,” the other twin said. “I mean, we were something special. Not just one singer, so we were something out of the normal.”
They said the lists of artists they’d worked with also included Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Eddie Fisher.
They raved about having worked with Davis, in particular, because he was so “versatile” and both moved and sang “beautifully.”
The women had told Bild in April 2024 that they wanted their ashes to be buried in the same urn, along with those of their mother and their dog, Yello.
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