Tawny Kitaen

Julie Ellen "Tawny" Kitaen (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; August 5, 1961 – May 7, 2021) was an American actress. She began her career as a television actress, appearing in the television films Malibu (1983) and California Girls (1985). She also starred in the comedies The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak and Bachelor Party (both 1984), and the horror film Witchboard (1986).

Kitaen garnered widespread recognition for her appearances in a number of music videos, including Ratt's "Back for More" (1984) and Whitesnake's "Still of the Night", "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again" (all 1987).

In the 2000s, Kitaen began appearing on reality television series, including The Surreal Life (2006) and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008), the latter of which documented Kitaen's issues with substance abuse.

Early life

Julie Ellen Kitaen was born in San Diego, California, on August 5, 1961.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was the eldest of three children born to Linda Kitaen (née Taylor), a housewife and one-time beauty pageant participant, and Terry Kitaen, an employee of a neon sign company.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=latobit>Template:Cite web</ref> Kitaen's mother was of Irish and Scottish descent, while her father was of Russian-Jewish heritage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Kitaen was raised in her father's Jewish faith.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>

She began using the nickname "Tawny" at the age of 12 on her own initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a child, she struggled with dyslexia, which led to her dropping out of Mission Bay High School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the age of 14, with backstage passes after a Peter Frampton concert at Balboa Stadium,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> she witnessed the VIP treatment afforded Frampton's girlfriend Penny and aspired to achieve it for herself.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Career

Kitaen modeled and appeared in television commercials for Jack LaLanne's European Health Spas in the early 1980s. In a January 2021 Instagram post a few months before her death, she claimed the experience inspired her to become an actress.<ref>Template:Cite instagram</ref>

Kitaen appeared on the cover of Ratt's debut EP Ratt (1983) and the band's debut Atlantic studio album Out of the Cellar (1984). She was dating the band's guitarist Robbin Crosby at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kitaen began her acting career in 1983 with a minor role in the television movie Malibu. In 1984, she starred as the title character of the erotic adventure movie The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak, also called Gwendoline.<ref name="TVG Filmog" /> Her other film appearances include Bachelor Party (1984) as the bride-to-be of Tom Hanks' character,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and starring roles in Witchboard (1986),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> White Hot (1988), and Dead Tides (1996).<ref name="TVG Filmog" />

She appeared in several music videos in the 1980s for the band Whitesnake, including the hits "Here I Go Again", "Still of the Night", "Is This Love", and "The Deeper the Love". She also appeared in Ratt's "Back for More" music video.<ref name="Variety" />

From February to July 1989, she appeared as Lisa DiNapoli on the daytime serial Santa Barbara.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> She appeared on Seinfeld as Jerry's girlfriend in the 1991 episode "The Nose Job." She appeared in 19 episodes of the TV series The New WKRP in Cincinnati from 1991 to 1993 as nighttime DJ Mona Loveland, who has a show called Mona Til Midnight. She also had recurring parts in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and co-hosted America's Funniest People from 1992 to 1994.<ref name="TVG Filmog" />

Kitaen joined the cast of the sixth edition of the VH1 reality television show The Surreal Life, which began airing in March 2006.<ref name="latobit" /> She also appeared in the second season of the VH1 reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which began in October 2008.<ref name=TVGuide>TV Guide, June 23, 2008; Page 8</ref><ref name="CelebCheck">Template:Cite web</ref> She appeared in the Season 4 Episode 12 of Botched, requesting that her breast implants be removed.<ref name="Variety"/>

Personal life and death

Kitaen dated Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby during and after high school. They moved in together as teenagers when Crosby was in the band Phenomenon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She married Whitesnake singer David Coverdale in 1989; they divorced in 1991.<ref name="NYTobit"/>

Kitaen had a year-long affair with football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson while he was married to Nicole Brown Simpson. The affair was revealed at Simpson's 1997 civil trial for wrongful death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kitaen was married to baseball player Chuck Finley from 1997 to 2002, with whom she had two daughters, Wynter and Raine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2002 she was charged with domestic violence for an incident involving Finley;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="people2002">Template:Cite web</ref> in a plea bargain, she agreed to enter a spousal battery counseling program and avoid contact with Finley.<ref name="people2002" /> Three days later, Finley filed for divorce.<ref name="people2002" />

In November 2006, prosecutors charged Kitaen with possessing 15 grams of cocaine in her San Juan Capistrano home in Orange County. The authorities said her two children were home at the time and that she had granted deputies permission for the search.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2006, Kitaen entered a six-month rehabilitation program in exchange for the dismissal of a felony drug-possession charge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On September 26, 2009, Kitaen was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Newport Beach, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following July, she pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and was sentenced to two days in jail, ordered to attend a first-offender alcohol program and required to perform 64 hours of community service.<ref name="Homes">Template:Cite news</ref>

On July 22, 2019, Kitaen was again arrested for DUI in Newport Beach.<ref name="radar online">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was formally charged with a misdemeanor related to the arrest on October 22 of that year.<ref name="radar online"/> Kitaen pleaded not guilty and was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on May 18, 2021.<ref name="radar online"/> However, she died before the hearing could take place.<ref name="radar online"/> If convicted, Kitaen could have been incarcerated.<ref name="radar online"/>

Death

Kitaen died at her Newport Beach home on May 7, 2021, at the age of 59, from heart issues and drug ingestion. She had been working with author and historian Colin Heaton on her memoirs for the past year.<ref name="Variety">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>Template:Primary source inline Kitaen's death was confirmed to The New York Times by her daughter Wynter Finley, who told the paper that the cause of death was not immediately known.<ref name="NYTobit">Template:Cite web</ref> Police reported that nothing at the scene indicated alcohol or drugs as a factor in the death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Orange County coroner's office declared it a "residential death", without further details.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2021, the Orange County coroner's office announced Kitaen's official cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, a common type of heart disease. Other contributing factors to her death included mild coronary atherosclerosis and drug ingestion, including mirtazapine, alprazolam, acetaminophen, pregabalin, and hydrocodone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak	Gwendoline	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1984	Bachelor Party	Debbie Thompson	<ref name="TVG Filmog">Template:Cite web</ref>
1986	Witchboard	Linda Brewster	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1986	Crystal Heart	Alley Daniels	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1986	Instant Justice	Virginia	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1987	Happy Hour	Misty Roberts	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1988	White Hot	Vanessa	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1993	Three of Hearts	Woman in Bar	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1996	Playback	Sara Burgess	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1996	Dead Tides	Nola	<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
2009	Tom Cool		Unreleased<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2011	Here We Go Again	Herself	Short film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2014	After Midnight	Rikki	<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
2015	Come Simi	Dee Dee	<ref name=":0" />

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	To Tell the Truth	Herself	Game show<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1983	Malibu	Mahoney's girlfriend	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1985	California Girls	Karen Malone	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1986–1987	Capitol	Meredith Ross	TV series<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1987	Glory Years	Melinda Murphy	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1989	Santa Barbara	Lisa DiNapoli	Appeared between February 28, 1989, and July 21, 1989<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
1989	Booker	Skylar Samperton	Episode: "Someone Stole Lucille"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1991	They Came from Outer Space	Monica Bates	Episode: "Sex, Lies & UFOs: Part 2"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1991	Veronica Clare		Guest appearance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1991	Seinfeld	Isabel	Episode: "The Nose Job"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1991–1993	Template:Sortname	Mona Loveland	Main role (19 episodes)<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1992–1994	America's Funniest People	Co-host	Succeeded Arleen Sorkin<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1992–1996	Eek! The Cat	Annabelle (voice)	Main role (39 episodes)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1994	Married... with Children	Dominique	Episode: "Shoeway to Heaven"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1994	Hercules and the Circle of Fire	Deianeira	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1994	Hercules in the Underworld	Deianeira	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1994	Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur	Deianeira	TV film<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1995	The Naked Truth	Herself	Episode: "Real Life Henry Higgins Turns Dork into Duke!"
1995	Burke's Law	Rhonda Dooley	Episode: "Who Killed Cock-a-Doodle Dooley?"<ref name=":0" />
1995	Hercules: The Legendary Journeys	Deianeira	Episodes: "The Wrong Path", "The Other Side"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
1997	Hercules: The Legendary Journeys	Deianeira	Episode: "When a Man Loves a Woman"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
2006	The Surreal Life	Herself<ref name="Variety" />
2006	Behind the Music	Herself	Episode: "Ratt"
2008	Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew	Herself<ref name="Variety" />
2011	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Lydia Kole	Episode: "Father of the Bride"<ref name="TVG Filmog" />
2012	Life@Large	Diane Kaplan	Web miniseries<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017	Botched	Herself	Episode: "Boob Trains and Big Butts"<ref name="Variety" />

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist
1984	"Back for More"	Ratt<ref name="Variety" />
1987	"Still of the Night"	Whitesnake<ref name="Variety" />
1987	"Here I Go Again"	Whitesnake<ref name="Variety" />
1987	"Is This Love"	Whitesnake<ref name="Variety" />
1989	"Fool for Your Loving"	Whitesnake<ref name="Variety" />
1990	"The Deeper the Love"	Whitesnake<ref name="Variety" />

External links

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