Actress Tawny — Julie E. — Kitaen passed away in her Newport Beach home at the age of 59. According to the Orange County, California coroner’s office, she died on the morning of May 7, 2021. She was known for her appearances in several music videos of rock group Whitesnake.
The actress was born on Aug. 5, 1961, in San Diego, California. According to Biography, Kitaen dropped out of high school to start modeling as a teenager. She became a sex symbol in the 1980s when she started dating Whitesnake member David Coverdale and started appearing in movies.
Before dating Coverdale she was in a relationship with RATT guitarist Robbin Crosby. She was the model seen on two of RATT’s music album labels — the band’s 1983 self-titled and their triple-platinum 1984 “Out of the Cellar” album.
She married Coverdale on Feb. 17, 1989. They were married for about 3 years before divorcing in 1991. Kitaen married her second husband — baseball player Chuck Finley — on Nov. 20, 1997. The couple has two children — Wynter and Raine Finely — together before divorcing on April 4, 2002.
Kitaen played Tom Hanks’ girlfriend in the 1984 movie “Bachelor Party.” She can also be seen in “White Hot,” “Witchboard,” and “Dead Tides.” The actress made an appearance in a “Seinfield” episode — “The One With The Nose Job.”
The actress participated in a few reality TV shows, including “The Surreal Life,” “Botched,” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” During her season of VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab,” Kitaen revealed she had been struggling with substance abuse for several years.
She also disclosed that she had several encounters with the law. For example, in 2006 she was charged with cocaine possession and driving while intoxicated in 2009.
Many people took to social media to pay their respects to Kitaen’s family. Some shared the memories they had of the actress. Vanessinator T-80085 tweeted, “This is so sad. Witchboard is one of my favorite scary movies.”
Rana posted, “I can’t believe I am seeing this. RIP Tawny Kitaen! A top iconic video vixen. My condolences go out to her family& friends at this time. You will be so sorely missed & loved by so many. You will never be forgotten.”
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Yahoo!: Tawny Kitaen, ’80s Music Video Vixen and ‘Bachelor Party’ Star, Dies at 59; Michele Amabile Angermiller
Biography: Tawny Kitaen
IMDb: Tawny Kitaen
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