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In a second reflection, Jamie Lee opened up about the complicated but enduring relationship they shared as sisters. Like many siblings, they experienced rivalry growing up after their parents’ divorce, and their lives eventually took them in different directions.
Kelly Curtis during “It Runs In The Family” Premiere – Arrivals at Mann Bruin Theatre in Westwood, California, United States. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
“My sister and I were close as children but also had that sibling competition for divorced parents’ attention and love and we were wildly different and lived apart for many years,” she wrote.
Their bond strengthened again when Kelly attended Jamie Lee’s 1984 wedding to actor Christopher Guest.
“But she came back to be with me at my wedding and never really left again.”
Over the years, Kelly became an integral part of Jamie Lee’s life and family. She even worked as her assistant on films including Freaky Friday, Christmas with the Kranks, and You Again.
“She worked for me at one point when she was in between jobs as my as-sister-aunt and became an integral part of my family structure. I miss her today but am buoyed by the knowledge that she is at peace.”
In her later years, Kelly shifted her focus behind the camera, directing documentaries including Marby Jets Are Go and Curling in Stanley, projects that reflected her curiosity about people, communities, and everyday stories.
No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
For Jamie Lee Curtis, however, the loss goes far beyond Hollywood. It is the loss of a sister, a confidant, and a lifelong companion whose presence shaped her life from the very beginning.
And as she said goodbye, she did so with Kelly’s own favorite blessing:
“Isten Veled.”