Twins Alice and Ellen Kessler, famous German artists and references on Italian television from the 1960s onwards, died together at the age of 89 in their residence near Munich, Germany, after resorting to assisted suicide. The sisters, known for their brilliant television and musical careers in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, had retired to their native country after a successful career, which stood out especially in Italy, where their death had a wide media impact.
Both lived together in Grünwald, a town on the outskirts of Munich, where they were found dead at midday on Monday, after the Bavarian police were alerted. Once the officers arrived on site, they confirmed his death and ruled out the intervention of third parties.
The German Association for a Dignified Death (DGHS) confirmed to the media that it was an assisted suicide and that the sisters made the decision consciously and premeditated. In Germany, assisted suicide was decriminalized in 2020 and is in legal limbo awaiting new legislation on the issue, while euthanasia remains illegal.
Alice and Ellen Kessler were born on August 20, 1936 in Nerchau, Germany, and showed great artistic talent from an early age. They trained in ballet and, with the support of their parents, emigrated to West Germany at the age of 18, where they began to distinguish themselves in the world of entertainment. The turning point in their career came in 1959, when they represented West Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Tonight we want to go dancingwith which they obtained eighth place among the 11 participants.
In 1960 the twins moved to Italy, where their career took off in the world of television and cinema, becoming a point of reference in the Dolce Vita for its beauty and refinement. Over the years they have participated in popular television programs, films and cabaret stages, establishing themselves as icons of Italian television. At the age of 40, the Kesslers posed for the cover of the Italian edition of Playboyan issue that became the magazine’s best-selling issue in the country up to that point.
