Recommendations of the Editorial team
A few weeks after her 89th birthday, Alice and Ellen Kessler ended their lives together. They were accompanied by the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS). Bayerischer Rundfunk reported that the two were long-time members of the DGHS.
A final, carefully planned step
November 17th was not chosen by chance as the day of his death. A few days later, the Munich “Abendzeitung” received a letter from Alice Kessler – canceling the subscription she had held for decades. Originally November 30th was entered; The handwritten correction dated November 17th testifies to the consistency and discipline of the twin sisters – right down to the last formality.
The news of the death of the most famous German twin duo, which was particularly omnipresent in the early days of the West German show TV era, not only touched the scene of the light muse. The chosen path and the symbolic power of their last step together gave it additional weight.
A life in unity
The dancers, who celebrated their international breakthrough in Paris in the 1950s and soon became influential figures in the European revue guild, died in their home in Grünwald near Munich.
Her final journey was accompanied by a doctor and a lawyer who informed the authorities after her death. Assisted suicide is permitted in Germany as long as those wishing to die carry out the decisive act themselves.
Her life was characterized by a unity that quickly became a brand in international showbiz. “Ellen is the engine, I am the brake,” Alice once said about the balance between them. The thought of continuing to live without the other was unimaginable.
Rituals, discipline and a common will
In 2024, Ellen openly stated: “United in death, that’s how we would like it to be – and that’s how we decreed it in our will.” The treasure trove of Kessler anecdotes is full of its own traditions.
Shortly before the first performance of the evening, Ellen tapped Alice’s palm three times – almost inaudibly – as a silent reminder that they only ever walked their path together. It is poetic rather than protocol truths that shape the image that experts and fans associate with them.
It is also said that the twins – despite strictly regulated orchestra rehearsals – went across the stage at night to perfect a step that the audience would probably never have known how much work went into it. Her dedication to accuracy was legendary – and respected by dancers and musicians alike.