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Liputan6.com, Jakarta The entertainment world mourned the passing of Alice and Ellen Kessler, widely known as the Kessler Twins, on Monday, November 17, 2025.
The legendary German twin duo died together at the age of 89 at their home in Grünwald, near Munich, Germany.
Local police confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that “there was a deployment yesterday lunchtime in Gruenwald."
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Their deaths were confirmed by Munich police as a "joint suicide," a decision made through assisted suicide.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanes Sterben (DGHS), a Berlin-based association for assisted dying, stated that the twins had chosen to end their lives together, marking the end of a long and colorful life and career.
“The decisive factor is likely to have been the desire to die together on a specific date,” DGHS spokesperson Wega Wetzel told CNN.
Last Wishes and the Assisted Suicide
Alice and Ellen Kessler's deaths by assisted suicide were not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
During an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last year, the twins said they wanted “to go away together on the same day.”
“The idea that one of us might get it first is very hard to bear,” they added.
In April 2024, they told the German newspaper Bild that they wished to have their ashes placed in the same urn, along with those of their mother and beloved dog.
Assisted suicide is permitted in Germany under certain conditions, primarily for individuals with full legal capacity and acting of their own free will.
The twins administered the drugs that ended their lives in the presence of a doctor and a lawyer, ensuring all legal procedures had been followed.
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The Kessler Twins' Brilliant Career Path on the World Stage
Alice and Ellen Kessler were born on August 20, 1936, in Nerchau, Germany.
From the age of six, they demonstrated their artistic talent, beginning ballet lessons.
At 11, they joined the Leipzig Opera's children's ballet program.
Their international career took off in 1955 after being discovered by the director of the Lido cabaret in Paris.
In the 1960s, the Kessler Twins toured the world, moving to Rome, and performing with such A-listers as Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, and Harry Belafonte.
They even turned down an offer to appear alongside Elvis Presley in the 1964 film "Viva Las Vegas" due to concerns about being defined by American musicals.
Furthermore, they represented West Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, placing eighth with the song "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n."
At the age of 40, they posed for the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy magazine, which became the best-selling issue at the time.
Their performances also graced American television, including their debuts on the CBS variety show The Red Skelton Hour and The Ed Sullivan Show.
Life After the Stage and Awards
After making history on the international stage, the Kessler Twins decided to return to Germany in 1986.
They settled in Grünwald, a quiet town near Munich, Bavaria.
For their significant contributions to promoting German-Italian cooperation through arts and entertainment, Alice and Ellen Kessler received prestigious awards from the German and Italian governments.
Despite their interesting romantic histories, including Ellen's 20-year relationship with Italian actor Umberto Orsini and Alice's relationship with French singer Marcel Amont and Italian actor Enrico Maria Salerno, the twins never married.
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