Kelly Curtis, the actress and eldest daughter of Hollywood royalty Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has died at the age of 69. Her sister, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, published two heartfelt tributes.
Kelly Curtis, the oldest daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh and the sister of Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis, has died at the age of 69.
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Jamie Lee announced the death of her sister, who died on Saturday morning at her home in Idaho. No cause of death has been revealed. She shared a heartfelt statement about her sibling.
“A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis,” wrote Jamie Lee. “She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace.”
“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 Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot.”
Curtis continued: “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. Kelly always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing… Isten Veled, God is with you. Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I’ll see you on down the line.”
In a second post, Jamie Lee reflected on their relationship as children.
“My sister and I were close as children but also had that sibling competition for divorced parents’ attention and love and we were wildly different and lived apart for many years, but she came back to be with me at my wedding and never really left again,” she wrote.
“She worked for me at one point when she was in between jobs as my as-sister-aunt and became an integral part of my family structure. I miss her today but am buoyed by the knowledge that she is at peace.”
Kelly Curtis was born on 17 June 1956 in Santa Monica. She made her onscreen debut in 1958’s The Vikings, which starred her parents, and went on to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
Kelly starred alongside sister Jamie Lee in Trading Places (1983), before starring in films like Magic Sticks (1987), The Devil’s Daughter (1991) and Mixed Blessings (1998). She also worked as her sister’s assistant on Freaky Friday, Christmas With The Kranks and You Again.
On TV, she starred in the series The Sentinel (1996-1999), and also appeared in episodes of The Equalizer, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Judging Amy.
Kelly’s most recent work was as a documentary filmmaker, directing the sports docs Marby Jets Are Go (2018) and Curling In Stanley (2019).
Kelly Curtis is survived by playwright husband Scott Morfee.
