Kelly Curtis, an actress who was also the sister of Jamie Lee Curtis, has died aged 69.
Freak Friday icon Jamie Lee, 67, has confirmed that her older sibling died this morning.
Paying tribute, the Halloween film legend wrote on Instagram alongside an old snap of Kelly: ‘A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. 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.’
Jamie Lee added affectionately: ‘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.’
And in a final nod to her late sister, she concluded: ‘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.’
Born in Santa Monica, California, Kelly, whose parents were Oscar nominees Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, began acting as a child.
Her best-known on-screen work includes the 1983 comedy-drama film Trading Places and the TV series The Sentinel.
She also had smaller roles in the German comedy movie Magic Sticks (1987) and in Italian horror flick The Devil’s Daughter (1991).
Her final role came in 1999 in the legal television drama Judging Amy.
Off-camera, Kelly was a children’s author.
What’s more, she was a producer and is credited as a production assistant on Jamie’s famous films Freaky Friday (2003) and You Again (2010).