Content warning: This article discusses assisted suicide.
The Kessler twins passed away together.
According to the German Humane Death Society (DGHS), German twin sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler, who were active as a variety entertainment duo, died in a joint assisted suicide at their home in Grünwald, Germany, on November 17th.
“They have been considering this option for some time,” the association, which advocates for the right to self-determined death, said in a statement to NBC News. “They have been members of the organization for over a year.”
“Those who choose this option in Germany must have a completely clear mind – a sense of freedom and responsibility,” the organization said, noting that the sisters had thorough discussions with lawyers and doctors before taking this path.
“Decisions must be thoughtful and consistent,” the DGHS added, “and that means they are not made impulsively and are made over a long period of time.”
Assisted dying is legal in Germany, with the country’s Constitutional Court ruling in 2020 that individuals have the right to end their own lives and seek help from a third party in certain circumstances.
