Twin entertainers Alice and Ellen Kessler die by assisted suicide at 89

Alice and Ellen Kessler, also known as the Kessler Twins, died by assisted suicide on Monday. The sisters were 89.

Local police confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that “there was a deployment yesterday lunchtime in Gruenwald,” a suburb in Munich where the entertainment duo resided.

However, authorities did not reveal the reason for that deployment. Assisted suicide has been legal in Germany since 2019.

The outlet reported that more than a year ago, Alice and Ellen contacted the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS), an advocacy organization that provides access to lawyers and doctors, to become members.

“The decisive factor is likely to have been the desire to die together on a specific date,” DGHS spokesperson Wega Wetzel told CNN.

Wetzel said she wasn’t aware of the precise reasons that the women wanted to end their lives together, she said the twins’ “desire to die was well-considered, long-standing, and free from any psychiatric crisis.”

The Kessler Twins reached international fame for their post-war entertainment in the ’50s and ’60s. Alice and Ellen made history as the first female stars to show their legs on screen and the first showgirls to appear on Italian television.

Last year, the sister told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that 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,” the Kessler Twins added.

Alice and Ellen also shared that they wanted their ashes placed together in the same urn alongside their mother, Elsa Kessler, and their dog, Yello.

Following the sisters’ deaths, the “Ed Sullivan Show,” which the twins appeared on multiple times, posted a touching tribute on Instagram.

“Honoring the extraordinary lives of the Kessler Twins. Alice & Ellen were dazzling stars, true legends, and sisters whose grace, charm, and magic will shine forever,” the show captioned the post.