Twins Alice and Ellen Kessler Choose Assisted Suicide at 89

Alice and Ellen Kessler, the famous twin sisters, passed away on Monday at their home in Gruenwald, Germany. They were 89 years old. The twins, who became stars in the 1950s, had been planning this for over a year. They contacted the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS) to help them. The police in Germany confirmed something happened at the twins' home on Monday. But they didn't say why. A spokesperson from DGHS said the twins wanted to die together on a specific day. She didn't know the exact reasons for each sister. But she said their decision was well thought out and not made in a moment of crisis. Last year, the twins talked to an Italian newspaper. They said they didn't want to live if one of them died first. They lived in two connected apartments. People often asked them to come back to TV. But they didn't want to. They said they didn't want to be seen anymore. They felt they couldn't do the things they used to do. So they decided to stop. The twins also said they didn't dance together anymore. At 88, they felt they didn't have the energy. They thought it was better not to do things if they couldn't do them well. They wanted their ashes to be put in the same urn. This urn would also hold their mother Elsa and their dog Yello. The twins were born in 1936 in Germany. They started dancing when they were young. They fled East Germany in 1952 to start their careers. They represented Germany in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest. They also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and in films. They even posed nude for Playboy in Italy in 1976. This issue sold out in just three hours. They were also on the cover of Life magazine. Euthanasia is legal in some European countries. In the Netherlands, more people are using it for mental health reasons. In 2010, only two people did this. But by 2023, that number jumped to 138. Last year, a 29-year-old woman in the Netherlands was approved for euthanasia. She had chronic depression and other mental health issues. She felt her therapy wasn't working. In Germany, euthanasia is allowed if the person is not being forced. The twins' decision was their own. They chose to end their lives together. This is a big topic that people have different opinions about. It's important to think about what this means for everyone.