Alice and Ellen Kessler, TV’s iconic twins, died together. Both the dancer and the 89-year-old singer, according to the Bild report, chose to leave at the same time via assisted suicide. And from Italy, where the two artists have worked for a long time, memories of the world of entertainment emerge.
Venier: “Look a few days ago, one of the two was not well”
“Two weeks ago I called them, one of the two was not well. This bad news did not surprise me. They – he said Mara Venier to La vita in diretta – they always come willingly, every time I invite them, they come to Italy. They love our country very much, they are family people. We all grew up with these two amazing women, who were so good in person. When they arrived at Domenica In, they arrived in Rome two days early to go and eat gricia in Trastevere. The last time we met, they were telling us about their dinner. We promised ourselves that we would meet again. This choice they made does not surprise me, they have a unique and inseparable bond: they are two people, but they are one. I don’t want to judge, I understand. If one of the two is not good – the presenter explains further -, it is unthinkable and unbearable for the other. It was unthinkable that either of the two could have left earlier…”.
Iva Zanicchi: “Sad news, an era is coming to an end”
“I had met them in Rome, and later in Germany, where we were guests. It is true that they were of an important age, but the news of their deaths was especially painful as an era was coming to an end, perhaps definitively.” Iva Zanicchi told Adnkronos, commenting on the death of the twins with whom the ‘eagle Ligonchio’ shared TV glory in the Golden Years, starting with ‘Canzonissima’.
And regarding the choice of two German artists, actresses, dancers and singers who became famous throughout the world alongside icons such as Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, Iva Zanicchi observed: “I understand, they are very old, probably sick. Each case has to be read in itself and we don’t know many things very well, but the news of their choice surprised me. This life is so sacred and so precious to me that we must have, frankly, the courage to live it to the last moment because it is such a precious gift.”
There is no judgment from the singer Emilian, just a lot of bitterness: “I have great compassion for them, I understand the tragedy and I imagine these two women, elderly, who wanted to die together, because they have always lived together – explains the ‘eagle of Ligonchio’ – But on the other hand I am sincere, it shocks me. This fact hurts me, it is far from my mentality”.
Guillermo Mariotto: “It was a pleasure to dance Da-Da-Un-Pa with them”
“What a thrill, what a dream, what a shame to dance ‘Da-da-un-pa’ with the Kessler sisters on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ almost twenty years ago. I saw them as a child on TV in Venezuela, only in black and white, at Studio Uno. I was thrown onto the stage of a TV show. The only time I danced on television was in a program hosted by Milly Carlucci.” Stylist Guillermo Mariotto conveyed his memories of Alice and Ellen Kessler to Adnkronos.
“I remember doing a live improvisation of ‘Da-da-un-pa’ following what the Kessler sisters did. What a wonder woman, a little ‘Teutonic’ not far at all, very tall, thin, graceful with an unmistakable style”, he concluded.
Rita Pavone: “Assisted suicide? That doesn’t surprise me”
“I wasn’t surprised, they were very close to each other… I thought maybe one was sick and the other couldn’t stand the thought of being alone. I was shocked when I found out, I wondered what was going on,” the words of Rita Pavone to Live Alive. “Like twins – continues the singer – we were born together but that doesn’t mean we have to die together: they decided so. They are consummate professionals, they don’t miss a step. They are great dancers, they are smart and intelligent women. They are great artists, nowadays it is difficult to find people so prepared, professional, punctual. I am sorry and sad, part of my life is connected with the Kesslers. I remember when we danced da-da-un-pa, I got to their hips…”
Alessandro Benvenuti: “My memories remain black and white”
“In 1987, I co-hosted the show, ‘The Factory of Dreams’ on Rai3. The idea was to share them for the first time. There was a competition between regions and each of them became a team captain. But they were always sent, one to one region and one to another, so our chance to meet was limited to the press conference of the launch of the program. However, like all Italians of my generation, my memory of them remains linked to their iconic participation in the first Rai variety show, in black and white”. Therefore, the actor and director Alessandro Benvenuti recalled Adnkronos the Kessler twins who shared his experiences in the Rai3 program ‘La Fabbrica dei Sogni’, where he was host and director.
Adriano Aragozzini: “An extraordinary artist”
“I produced the last program they made in Italy, ‘The Dream Factory’. We spent 15 weeks together. They lived completely in symbiosis: they were always together, with the same working hours, the same food, always agreed decisions, about everything. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to die together.” This is how the Kessler twins spoke to Adnkronos Adriano Aragozziniwho in 1987 shared with them 14 episodes of ‘The Dream Factory’, the Rai3 program of which he was producer.
“They are two extraordinary artists, with admirable professionalism. Always early, never late. Don Lurio, who brought them to Italy, introduced them to me. They have spoken to me about their extraordinary union but their harmony is truly extraordinary”, adds Aragozzini. Who later said: “Once I asked them how it was possible that they never argued and they told me that it only happened twice: once to give food to the dog and another time to tease one of them to which the other did not approve. Even for romantic relationships they feel the need to get each other’s approval”, underlined the producer. “Another thing that really amused me was that when they argued about the text, they spoke to each other passionately in German. And I, who speaks five languages but not German, understood nothing. Then, after the discussion was over, one of the two told me the decision in Italian.
