Jamie Lee Curtis announces death of ‘talented’ actress sister Kelly aged 69
By Casey Cooper-Fiske, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter
Jamie Lee Curtis has announced the death of her sister, actress Kelly Curtis, aged 69 – describing her as “talented” and “jaw- droppingly beautiful”.
The 67-year-old said her sister had died “in her home, in nature, at peace”, having had roles in films including Trading Places (1983), which the pair both appeared in, Magic Sticks (1987) and The Devil’s Daughter (1991) during her life.
In a post on Instagram, Jamie Lee said: “She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress.
“She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokemon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.
“She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie.”
The post was accompanied with a black and white picture of her sister with a cigarette in her mouth.
Jamie Lee did not share Kelly’s cause of death.
She went on to say Kelly used to sign off her messages with the Hungarian phrase “Isten Veled”, meaning “God is with you”.
Jamie Lee added: “Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I’ll see you on down the line.”
Along with her film roles, Kelly also appeared in episodes of TV programmes such as The Equaliser, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Sentinel.
She was the eldest child of The Persuaders! star Tony Curtis and actress Janet Leigh, who is best known for her appearance in Psycho (1960).
Her sister Jamie Lee has won an Oscar, a Bafta Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, and has also been nominated for a Grammy. She is best known for roles in Halloween (1978), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and Freaky Friday (2003) – which Kelly worked on as a production assistant.