german artist Alice and Ellen Kessler Died on the same day in November 2025 at the age of 89.
The duo, known professionally as the “Kessler Twins,” reportedly decided to commit assisted suicide after consulting with the German Society for Human Death (DGHS), NBC reported. today.
“Those who choose this option in Germany must be absolutely clear-headed, which means free and responsible,” an English-language statement from the DGHS read. “The decision must be well thought out and consistent, meaning it is made over a long period of time and not in the heat of the moment.”
The Kessler twins revealed to Italian media a year ago that they did not want to endure the trauma of one coming before the other, suggesting they wanted to die together.
During their career spanning more than 70 years, the Kessler Twins have performed on some of the world’s grandest stages, from the Paris Lido to the dazzling lights of Paris The Ed Sullivan Show In New York City. Siblings make history as they land cover lifestyle magazine In the United States and later for the Italian version playboy when they are 40 years old.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the incredible lives of the Kessler twins.
The Kessler twins escaped from behind the Iron Curtain as children
Alice and Ellen Kessler were born in Nerchau, Germany, in August 1936, during the rise of the Nazi Party. Their childhoods were shattered by the ravages of World War II from 1939 to 1945. After the war, their hometown became part of East Germany, and the twins grew up under the control of the Soviet occupation.
Despite their difficult upbringings, Alice and Alan excelled at dancing from an early age and even performed with the Leipzig Opera. When the twins were 16, their parents obtained visitor visas, allowing the family to escape East Germany.
The Kessler twins became European stars as teenagers
After arriving in West Germany, the Kessler twins first achieved fame through performances in Düsseldorf. It wasn’t long before the Kessler twins made their Parisian debut at the famous Lido Theater – where Siegfried and Roy, Elton John and Marlene Dietrich Also performed over the years.
In 1959, the Kessler twins, representing West Germany, placed eighth in the Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes, France, with their single “Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh’n” (“Tonight We Want to Dance”). (The 1959 Eurovision Song Contest was won by the Dutch representative Teddy Scholten and her submission “‘n Beetje,” or “a little bit.” )
“We didn’t really want to do it because it was our signed debut, but our record company in Germany thought we had to do it because we were already so famous in France. [performing] at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Paris,” Allen explained in an interview. “They thought if we went [to Eurovision] Click a song, we can do it. But we didn’t make it! “
The song competition launched ABBA’s career, Celine DionThe Kessler twins think performing at the Eurovision Song Contest was a mistake.
Ellen and Alice Kessler
Jack Kay/Daily Express/Getty Images“We didn’t make it because we didn’t think the song was too good, and we didn’t think we were too good,” Allen joked.
Alice admitted that she had never seen their Eurovision performance “completely” since the 1959 competition, as the experience did not help their careers.
“We weren’t really recording stars,” Allen points out. “We’ve always been visual because we’re always moving. Success is always visual. Everybody wants to see us, not only singing like record stars, but dancing as well. So, it’s always visual.”
Kessler twins find success in Hollywood
Kessler twins discovered by US-born choreographer don lulio were brought to Italy in 1961, where they became the country’s early television stars.
Their success in Europe paved the way for the Kessler twins to make their U.S. television debut on CBS red skull show 1963. The sisters became regulars on the groundbreaking CBS variety show The Ed Sullivan Show In the 1960s and early 1970s, they performed with the Jackson Five and other major American acts.
“We don’t feel any competition [with American acts] Because we are twins,” Allen said in an interview. “We are special, not just one thing. … There’s something unusual about us. “
Alice added: “We’ve been really lucky to work with all the big stars in America”
The twins, who often share the stage with the Rat Pack, singled out Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin As two of their favorite colleagues. Alice and Alan said they got along well with the leader of the pack. frank sinatrathey realized that Sinatra had a dark side.
“Frank Sinatra, he was funny because he had a great sense of humor,” Allen said. “You never know, is he doing well? [mood] or in a bad situation [mood]? “
Her sister admitted, “We used to call him Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
In addition to their stage performances in the United States, the Kessler twins served as dancers in the 1962 biblical epic sodom and gomorrahand had supporting roles in many other European films of the 1960s.
The Kessler twins were awarded the prestigious Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Order of Merit of Bavaria in their home country to commemorate their legendary careers.
Kessler twins never married
Alice and Ellen had many high-profile romances throughout their lives, although they never married or had children.
Allen had 20-year relationship with Italian actor Umberto Orsinibest known to american audiences for starring in pornographic films Emmanuel 1970s movie series.
Alice linked to French singer Marcel Ament and actors Enrico Maria Salernothe latter is called Clint EastwoodDubbed Italian for the iconic Spaghetti Western film handful of dollars, spend a few dollars more and the good, the bad and the ugly.
Alice and Ellen Kessler
Keystone/Getty Images“We had a clear idea from the beginning, from the time we were girls: we had to be independent,” they told the Italian newspaper Post 2024. “We didn’t want to be dependent on men in any way. We were feminists, but we didn’t think about it: from the age of 15, we started to make a living for ourselves. We were always independent. Maybe, in the end, we became a little dependent on each other.”
Kessler twins died of assisted suicide on the same day in 2025
During the last years of their lives, the Kessler twins lived in connecting apartments in Munich, Germany. In a 2024 interview, the twins said they wanted to “leave together on the same day” to avoid living in assisted care.
“The idea of one of us going first is difficult to accept,” they were quoted as saying.
In November 2025, a spokesman for the German Society for Human Death (DGHS) confirmed today The twins chose to die together at the age of 89.
“They have been considering this option for some time. They have been members of the organization for more than a year. An attorney and a doctor have held preliminary discussions with them,” a statement read. “The person who chooses this option in Germany must be absolutely sane, meaning free and responsible. The decision must be well thought out and consistent, meaning taken over a long period of time, and not impulsively.”
spokesman for the attorney general Vega Wetzel Later told CNN that Alice and Allen contacted the group a year ago and became members. (Wetzel did not personally know the Kessler twins.)
“The deciding factor may be the desire to die together on a specific date,” Wetzel explains. “Their desire to die was deliberate, long-standing, and not associated with any spiritual crisis.”
Assisted dying in Germany is unregulated because a 2020 court ruling established that everyone has the right to die at their own discretion, with assistance from a third party under certain conditions.
