Jamie Lee Curtis mourns sister's death with touching tribute: 'My first friend'
Jamie Lee Curtis is remembering her sister, Kelly Curtis, whom she called her "first friend and lifelong confidant," in a heartfelt tribute following her death.
In an Instagram post shared Saturday, Jamie Lee Curtis announced that her older sister had died earlier that day. She was 69.
"She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace," Jamie Lee Curtis wrote alongside a throwback photo of her sister.
"She was my first friend and lifelong confidant," the Oscar winner continued. "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."
The post continued, "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 Lee Curtis also reflected on a phrase her sister often used, writing, "Kelly always signed off any message or fare thee well with a Hungarian blessing...'Isten Veled, God is with you.'"
She concluded the tribute, writing, "Isten Veled to my sister of the sun and the moon, my Tai. I'll see you on down the line."
ABC News has reached out to Jamie Lee Curtis' representative for comment.
In another post shared Sunday, Jamie Lee Curtis reflected on her lifelong bond with her sister and shared a contact sheet of photographs taken the night before her wedding in December 1984, when Kelly Curtis served as her maid of honor.
"In 1984 on December 17, in the evening before my wedding, my sister, Kelly, who was my maid of honor, came to my apartment and slept over. Our friend, Suzanne Tenner. @suz_tenner came and made a portrait of the sisters before I got married. She sent me this contact sheet today in condolence for the loss of my beautiful sister," Jamie Lee Curtis wrote.
She continued, "My sister and I were close as children but also had that sibling competition for divorced parent's attention and love and we were wildly different and lived apart for many years, but she came back to be with me at my wedding and never really left 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."
Kelly Curtis was born on June 17, 1956, to actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. According to Entertainment Weekly, she made her screen debut in the 1958 film "The Vikings," which starred her parents.
In addition to Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Curtis is survived by her husband, Scott Morfee, and her siblings Alexandra Curtis, Allegra Curtis and Ben Curtis. She was also the sister of Nicholas Curtis, who died in 1994.
