Italian TV icons known as the Kessler Twins have passed away at the age of 89. The TV performers and entertainers, Alice and Ellen Kessler, were found at their adjoining flats in Grünwald, Germany. According to The Sun, the K12 specialist unit in the country was called to their home around midday on Monday, November 17.
Authorities confirmed that it was medically assisted suicide, which was legal in the country (via Parade). There was no foul play suspected, according to the officials. According to German outlet Bild, medically assisted suicide is legal under strict rules in the country. The law required the individual to decide for themselves, of their own free will.
It was reported that “they no longer wanted to love,” and the German outlet added that “they had chosen to end their lives together.” The sisters have left a note in which they asked for their ashes to be placed in a single urn, alongside those of their mother, Elsa, and their dog, Yello. Ellen earlier told Bild in 2024 that they had stipulated in their will to stay together even after their death.
Who Were the Kessler Twins: Their Career in Entertainment Explained
The Kessler twins were born in 1936 in Nerchau, Saxony, just as the Second World War broke out. As kids, they began performing with the Leipzig Opera ballet. They left East Germany and moved to Düsseldorf in 1952. They rose in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.
They toured in Europe and the United States during the postwar period. They worked with the biggest names in entertainment at the time, including Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire. At 19, the sisters performed alongside the Bluebell Girls at the Lido in Paris, France.
They appeared in shows across different countries, like The Red Skelton Hour (their debut in the U.S.), The Ed Sullivan Show, The Perry Como Show, and The Rolf Harris Show, where they amazed audiences with their synchronized dancing. In 1962, the twins moved to Italy and began to gain more recognition.
Their performances graced the television during the golden age of Italian TV. They made appearances in popular shows like Giardino d’inverno and Studio Uno. They even landed a shoot with Playboy Magazine and got featured on the cover of one of the fastest-selling Italian Playboy magazines at the time.
Their careers spanned multiple media, including ballet, cabaret, and variety shows. The Kessler twins came to be known as “the nation’s legs,” especially after their Da-da-un-pa routine, directed by Antonello Falqui.
Kessler Twins’ Awards and Recognitions
The Kessler twins were honored by both the German and Italian governments for their work in show business and for promoting German-Italian cooperation. They received the European Broadcasting Union’s Golden Rose of Montreux award.
They were also honored with the Federal Cross of Merit in 1997, which is the highest federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2006, they were made honorary citizens of Grimma, a town in Saxony, Germany, where the twins were born.
In 2025, the twins received the Bavarian Order of Merit for outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria (via KStA).
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