German Twin Stars Who Shared the Stage with Astaire and Sinatra Die Together – Cause of Death Revealed

Twin German performers Alice and Ellen Kessler, famous dancers and singers who performed with stars like Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, and Harry Belafonte, have died at the age of 89.

German police confirmed on Tuesday that the sisters passed away in their home in Grünwald, a suburb of Munich.

Authorities described their deaths as a “joint suicide,” and the German Society for Humane Dying told Bavarian Broadcasting that it was an assisted suicide. The news was first reported by Bild and dpa.

The Kessler twins began dancing as children and were part of the Leipzig Opera children’s ballet. In 1952, at the age of 16, their family moved to West Germany, where they performed in a revue theater in Düsseldorf. Their big break came in 1955 when the director of Paris’s Lido cabaret discovered them, launching their international career.

During the 1960s, the sisters toured the world, eventually moving to Rome and performing alongside Astaire, Sinatra, and Belafonte.

According to dpa, they even turned down a role in Elvis Presley’s 1964 movie Viva Las Vegas, worried it would typecast them in American musical films. The twins continued performing well into old age, appearing on stage even in their 80s. Alice once said, “We probably wouldn’t have managed to perform for so long alone.”

The sisters often spoke about the strength of being a duo. Alice said, “Being together only has advantages. Together you’re stronger.” When asked about the secret to their long career, she added, “Discipline, every day. Gratitude, time and again. Humility, not cockiness. And togetherness. Until death.”

The Kessler twins will be remembered not just for their talent but also for their close bond and the decades they spent performing together around the world.

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