Kelly Curtis, actress and sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, dies at 69
Kelly Curtis, actress and sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, dies at 69
Wesley StenzelSat, May 30, 2026 at 4:14 PM UTC
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Kelly Lee Curtis in 2012
Credit: Eric Charbonneau/WireImageKey points
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Kelly Curtis died Saturday, May 30, at 69.
The actress' sister, Jamie Lee Curtis, announced the news on social media.
Curtis, who starred in projects like Trading Places and The Renegades, was the eldest daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.
Kelly Curtis, the actress and eldest daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has died. She was 69.
The actress' sister, Jamie Lee Curtis, announced that her sibling died at her home on Saturday. She did not provide a cause of death.
"A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis," the Halloween star wrote on Instagram. "She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace."
The Freaky Friday actress shared fond memories of her sister. "She was my first friend and lifelong confidant," she wrote. "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 added, "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."
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The Everything Everywhere All at Once actress noted that her sister "always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing…Isten Veled, God is with you."
She concluded her remarks with that same phrase. "Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I'll see you on down the line," she wrote.
Born in Santa Monica, Calif., in 1956, Kelly Curtis made her screen debut as a baby in 1958's The Vikings, which starred both of her parents. She did not return to screen acting for 25 years, and instead studied business at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Curtis also studied acting at Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and relaunched her career in 1983 when she appeared alongside Jamie in Trading Places and acted opposite Patrick Swayze in an episode of the short-lived ABC action show The Renegades that same year.
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on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
