Kelly Kurtis, the younger sister of actress Jamie Lee Curtis, and the daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has passed away at 69. Curtis died in her home in Bellevue, Idaho, and no cause of death is known at this time.
Jamie Lee Curtis announced Kelly’s passing on Facebook and Instagram on Saturday, May 30th, serving as both an announcement and celebration of Kelly. Both the Facebook and Instagram posts share a caption that mentions that Kelly Curtis died “in her home. In nature. At peace. “She was my first friend and lifelong confidant, “Jamie Curtis states in the caption of both posts. “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.”
While not reaching the heights of her sister, Kelly Curtis did appear in many films. She first made her debut in the 1958 film The Vikings, starring her mom and dad, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. She had a small role alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places, and starred in the 1987 German comedy Magic Sticks and the 1991 Italian Horror Film The Devil’s Daughter.
In addition, Kelly Curtis also dipped her toes into directing with the documentary Marby Jets Are Go, which centers around an Australian high school track team. She also served as Jamie Lee Curtis’s assistant on several films in which her sister had a starring role, including the 2003 remake of Freaky Friday and Christmas with the Kranks.
Kelly Curtis is survived by her sister Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as her second husband, filmmaker John Marsh, her Brother-in-law, actor and director Christopher Guest, and half-siblings Alexandra, Allegra, Ben, and Nicholas. We here at mxdwn send out our condolences to the Curtis Family.
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