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The famed Kessler twins, celebrated for their dazzling performances alongside legends like Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, made the poignant decision to end their lives together at the age of 89. These illustrious German entertainers reportedly spent a significant sum to ensure their final wish was fulfilled, according to a recent report by TMZ.
Alice and Ellen Kessler, the iconic blonde duo, sought the services of DGHS, an organization known as the German Society for Humane Dying. This group facilitates assisted suicide, allowing individuals the agency to choose the timing of their departure.
DGHS clarified that the cost of this service amounts to $4,600 for an individual and $7,000 for a pair. This fee encompasses legal and medical support required for the assisted suicide process, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the organization. However, it is important to note that these charges do not cover cremation, a service the sisters had expressed a wish for.
DGHS told the site that the service costs $4,600 per person and $7,000 for two people.
That cost covers both lawyers and doctors for the assisted suicide, a spokesperson for DGHS stated. But the fee does not include cremation expenses, which is what the sisters had wanted.
It was added by the outlet that customers are required to start working with DGHS six months prior to their death but the twins reached out about a year ago.
The glamorous dancing Kessler twins from Germany ‘paid a mini fortune’ to die together at 89. Seen in the 1950s
The dynamic duo, who worked with Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, forked over thousands of dollars to make sure their lives ended when they wanted, according to a Thursday report from TMZ. Seen in the 1950s
They passed away in their home in Grünwald near Munich, Germany this week.
Their life ended with an overdose of anesthetic given by needle. Once the client is dead, DGHS contacts the police.
Germany’s laws on end-of-life care permit passive euthanasia, such as withdrawing life support, and the organization works within this framework to help individuals make end-of-life decisions.
The twins reportedly told Bild in 2024 that they wanted their ashes to be placed together in an urn after their death, along with the remains of their mother, Elsa, and their dog, Yello.
‘That’s what we stipulated in our will,’ Ellen said, via Parade.
Local authorities reportedly confirmed on Monday that Ellen and Alice had died together at their home, which had adjoining residences separated by a dividing wall.
The blonde ladies named Alice and Ellen Kessler used the services of DGHS, which stands for the German Society for Humane Dying when translated; seen in 1976
The site spoke to DGHS about how much it would go through with the end of life treatment and they said it was $4,600 per person and $7,000 for two people; seen in 1959
They added that there was no indication of foul play in the dual deaths.
A tribute posted to Instagram by Radio Monte Carlo said that the Kessler twins ‘left together, just as they lived: inseparable,’ according to an automatic translation.
‘Born in 1936, they were an absolute symbol of European spectacle, including music, dance and television,’ the organization wrote. ‘In Italy, they became celebrities as the “legs of the nation,” icon[s] of elegance and stage presence since the Fifties.
It added that the Kessler twins were a ‘unique artistic couple, capable of leaving an indelible imprint on the collective imagination.’
That cost covers both lawyers and doctors for the assisted suicide, Wega Wetzel, a spokesperson for DGHS, stated; seen with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas in 1960
And the fee does not include cremation expenses, which is what the sisters had wanted; seen in 1976
It was added by the outlet that they were required to start working with DGHS six months prior to their death but the twins reached out about a year ago. The Kessler twins in Rome, Italy in 1988
The twins also became popular in the US beginning in the 1960s thanks to multiple appearances on talk and variety shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Red Skelton Hour; pictured circa the 1970s
According to the German publication Bild, the sisters ‘no longer wanted to live’ and ‘had chosen to end their lives together’; pictured October 24 in Munich, Germany
The sisters, who were reportedly born in the Nerchau area of Germany, started their entertainment careers as child ballet performers with the Leipzig Opera.
In 1952, when they were just 16, the Kesslers fled communist East German for West Germany, from where they were able to perform across Europe.
Their popular performances also brought them to the attention of American musicians and performances, including Elvis Presley, who reportedly saw them perform at Le Lido in Paris when he was stationed in West Germany after being drafted into the Army in 1958.
They also worked with Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr.
Beginning in the late 1950s, the Kessler twins diversified their act by focusing on singing, both on screen and on records.
The Kessler twins later relocated to Italy in 1962, and the early ’60s marked the beginning of their popularity in the US thanks to appearances on high-profile variety shows including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Red Skelton Hour.
In 1986, Alice and Ellen moved back to West Germany, settling in Grünwald, where they would end their lives together nearly 40 years later.