Overview
- Alice and Ellen Kessler died on November 17 at their shared home in Grünwald, near Munich, in a joint assisted death confirmed by the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS) and local police.
- The DGHS said the twins had been members for over a year, consulted a lawyer and a doctor in advance, and made a well‑considered decision free of psychiatric crisis.
- Newsweek reported the sisters wrote to the DGHS days before their deaths expressing gratitude for the ability to end their lives with dignity.
- Police described the case as a joint suicide, noted a routine response to the residence, and reported no indication of third‑party involvement after authorities were notified.
- Assisted dying in Germany has been permitted under a 2020 court ruling requiring voluntary, self‑administered action, and the twins had long stated a wish to depart together and be interred in a single urn.