"Alice and Ellen Kessler, the pop singing sisters who were famous in Europe in the 1960s, especially in Italy where they were credited for bringing glamour to the country's TV network, have died aged 89. The identical twins had chosen to have a joint assisted death at their home in Grunwald, close to Munich, on Monday, said Wega Wetzel, a spokesperson for Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Humanes Sterben (DGHS), a Berlin-based assisted dying association."
"In Germany, active euthanasia is banned but according to the constitution every person has the right to a self-determined death, a principle that encompasses the freedom to take one's own life and use assistance provided voluntarily by third parties. The sisters administered the life-ending drugs in the presence of a physician and lawyer, who then called the police."
"They told the German newspaper Bild that they wanted their ashes to be placed into the same urn one day and for it to be buried alongside their mother and dog, Yello. Born in 1936 in Nerchau, the sisters began as child ballet dancers with the Leipzig Opera, with their singing and dancing career taking off from the age of 16 after their family fled East Germany for Dusseldorf. They represented West Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959, finishing in eighth place."
Alice and Ellen Kessler died at age 89 after a joint assisted death at their home in Grunwald near Munich. German law bans active euthanasia but the constitution protects a right to a self-determined death, including voluntary assistance. The sisters took life-ending drugs in the presence of a physician and a lawyer, after a long and well-considered decision, and police were notified to confirm circumstances. The sisters requested their ashes be placed in the same urn to be buried alongside their mother and their dog, Yello. They began as child ballet dancers and rose to pop fame, representing West Germany in Eurovision 1959.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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