Jamie Lee Curtis announces sister’s death at age 69
Jamie Lee Curtis has announced that her older sister, Kelly Curtis, has died aged 69.
The Freaky Friday alum, 67, posted an emotional tribute Saturday on Instagram, alongside a black and white photo of her sister. Kelly’s cause of death has not been shared.
“A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace,” she wrote. “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.
“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.”
Jamie continued: “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.”
Kelly was the eldest daughter of late Hollywood icons, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, followed by Jamie. Tony also had two daughters, Alexandra, 61, and Allegra, 59, with his second wife, Christine Kaufmann. With his third wife, Leslie Allen, Tony welcomed two sons, Benjamin, 53, and Nicholas, who died aged 23 in 1994.
Just like her sister, Kelly works in the entertainment industry. She appeared in an uncredited role in the 1958 movie The Vikings, before starring alongside Jamie in Trading Places (1983).
She made multiple TV appearances in the Eighties and Nineties, including on The Equalizer (1986), Silk Stalkings (1992), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and The Sentinel (1996). Some of her work on the big screen included starring in Magic Sticks (1987), The Sect (1991) and Ex-Cop (1993).
Kelly was also an assistant to Jamie on Freaky Friday (2003), Christmas With the Kranks (2004) and You Again (2010).
More recently, she was the director of two documentaries, including 2018’s Marby Jets Are Go, which focused on the highs and lows of an Australian high school track team. The second, 2019’s Curling in Stanley, followed the seventh annual “Sawtooth Outdoor Bonspiel,” an outdoor curling tournament, in Stanley, Idaho.
In 2013, Kelly directed The Night She Came Home!!, a video that documented Jamie’s appearance at a Horror Hound Convention in Indianapolis.
In addition to Jamie and her half-siblings, Kelly is survived by her husband, Scott Morfee.