Two more pop culture figures chose to die by assisted suicide.
Videos by Suggest
Alice and Ellen Kessler, known as the Kessler Twins or die Kessler-Zwillinge, have both died, according to BILD. The German outlet reports that the sisters died on Monday at their residence in Grünwald, Germany.
While details on how exactly the former Eurovision Song Contest contestants died have not been made public, police confirm they were called to the residence after the famed performers chose to die by “assisted suicide.” Authorities ruled out foul play upon arriving at the Kesslers’ home.
The German Society for Humane Dying later confirmed the circumstances of the pair’s deaths to Newsweek. The Kessler Twins, who were known worldwide for their TV and movie appearances in the ’50s and ’60s, “had been considering this option for some time,” according to spokesperson Wega Wetzel.
Per DW.com, accompanied/assisted suicides are legal in Germany, as long as “the person who ends their life makes that decision freely and carries full responsibility.”
The sisters had previously told BILD they both wished to be cremated and buried in the same urn, the urn that also held the ashes of their mom Elsa and a beloved pet dog, Yello.
Other Cultural Figures Who’ve Chosen Assisted Suicide in Recent Years
Several other arts and entertainment professionals have chosen Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in recent years.
Mark Fleischman, former owner of Studio 54, died by assisted suicide at a Swiss clinic in 2022. Comedian Geraldine Doyle, who was ill with cancer, opted to die by Australia’s dying with dignity process in May 2024. Singer Barbara Dane chose California’s medical aid in dying process in October 2024 due to heart failure. Sculptor Jackie Ferrara chose “physician-assisted suicide” in Switzerland back in October.
Actress Ruth Posner died alongside her husband Michael in September, with the pair telling friends, “There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve.”