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Tawny Kitaen, Whitesnake Video Star, Cause of Death Revealed
UPDATE: A cause of death has been revealed for actress and video vixen Tawny Kitaen. A spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Department revealed that Kitaen died from dilated cardiomyopathy. The manner of death was ruled natural. According to the spokesman, other significant conditions included mild coronary atherosclerosis (clogged arteries); mirtazapine (antidepressant), mirtazapine metabolite, alprazolam (Xanax), acetaminophen (Tylenol), pregabalin (nerve pain medication) and hydrocodone (opioid).
Tawny Kitaen, actress and hair metal video star most famous for her appearance in Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" music video, has died at the age of 59.
News of her death was reported by Variety, where it was stated that Orange County, California police confirmed Kitaen (listed as Tawny Finley) died in her home in Newport Beach on Friday morning (May 8).
No cause of death has been revealed at this time.
Born Julie E. Kitaen on Aug. 5, 1961 in San Diego, California, she became enamored with rock music in her early teenage years and also developed an interest in acting, having first made a minor appearance in 1983 in the made-for-TV movie Malibu. Notably, she played the role of Debbie Thompson, who was the bride-to-be of legendary actor Tom Hanks' character in 1984's Bachelor Party, as well as other small roles in a handful of other films.
At around this time, she also appeared as the cover model on Ratt's self-titled 1983 EP as well as the cover of their 1984 debut album, Out of the Cellar and was dating guitarist Robbin Crosby.
A few years later, she broke through as a mainstream name as the star of Whitesnake's 1987 music video for their "Here I Go Again" single, in which she famously danced atop two cars. Additional Whitesnake video appearances included "Still of the Night," "Is This Love" and "The Deeper the Love" and Kitaen went on to marry singer David Coverdale in 1989, though the marriage did not last long and the couple divorced in 1991.
Following the divorce, Kitaen was featured in a recurring role in various TV shows in the early and mid '90s, later returning to television on the VH1 reality programs The Surreal Life (2006) and Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew (2008). She was also married to Major League Baseball pitcher Chuck Finley from 1997 through 2002.
Loudwire extends our condolences to the Kitaen family and all who knew Tawny.
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