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Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, World News
Callum Jones
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, World News
Warning: this article contains discussion surrounding suicide that some readers may find distressing.
The Kessler twins — who became famous for performing with Frank Sinatra — died on Monday (November 17) after deciding to end their lives together through medical aid.
Alice and Ellen Kessler, born in August 1936, shot to fame in the 1950s and 1960s after their 1959 duet at the Eurovision Song Contest saw them land eighth place for West Germany.
They went on to become international names through the 60s variety show Studio Uno, followed by featuring in a cover issue of the infamous Playboy magazine.
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German newspaper Bild reported the twins died at age 89 in their home near Munich through medical aid in dying on Monday.
The sisters 'no longer wanted to live' and had opted to 'end their lives together'.
Dying via medical aid has been legal in Germany since 2019, and is different from euthanasia, which is illegal in the European country.
With medical aid in dying, patients administer the prescribed drug themselves to end their lives, rather than being done by a doctor.
Such is legal when the person, among other things, 'acts responsibly and of their own free will' - and the assister must not carry out the act themselves, as this would be classed as euthanasia.
Police were reportedly informed that the twins had died and immediately ruled out foul play.
Alice and Ellen told the outlet in April last year that they wanted to be buried one day in the same urn.
Tributes have been pouring in for the famous twins on social media, including from Radio Monte Carlo on Instagram.
They penned: "Alice and Ellen Kessler left together, just as they lived: inseparable.
"Born in 1936, they were an absolute symbol of European spectacle, including music, dance and television. In Italy, they became celebrities as the “legs of the nation”, icon of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.
"A unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.