Kelly Lee Curtis, sister of Jamie Lee Curtis and eldest daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has died at the age of 69.
According to Jamie, 67, the Oscar-winning actress, Kelly, died peacefully at her home in California on Saturday, May 30.
The Blaine County Medical Examiner’s Office in Idaho confirmed that Kelly died at age 69 of natural causes. The office also clarified that she had been receiving hospice care during the week prior to her death on May 30. It added that Kelly is expected to be cremated and that her husband, John Marsh, was present when officials arrived at her home.
Jamie Lee Curtis said, “A warm aloha to my big sister, she passed away this morning. Peacefully. At home. In nature.”
She was a talented actress, incredibly beautiful, and an expert at cards. She collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrift stores, and travel. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish heritage and was a fervent American patriot.
Jamie, the Halloween star, added that her sister will be remembered “for her loving generosity, her strong opinions, her endless curiosity, her unique style, and her crescent-shaped almond Christmas cookies—hence her nickname, Auntie Cookie.” Kelly always ended her messages or goodbyes with a Hungarian blessing… Isten Veled, God be with you. Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and moon, my Tai. “See you in the future,” Jamie concluded.
Kelly was born in Santa Monica, California, and appeared alongside her parents in her first uncredited role in the 1958 film, The Vikings. She later starred alongside her sister Jamie in the film Trading Places (1983), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Kelly continued acting and appeared in several television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including The Equalizer, Hunter, Silk Stalkings, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and a recurring role in the first season of The Sentinel. She also worked as Jamie’s assistant on several of his films.
