Julie ‘Tawny’ Kitaen was an American actress and model who earned the title ‘rock vixen of the 80s’ for her association with some of the 80s’ most famous rock bands. Kitaen adopted the name ‘Tawny’ at age 12, and after attending her first rock concert at the age of 14, desired to experience the VIP life she saw Peter Frampton’s girlfriend living.
In the early 1980s, Tawny modeled and appeared in television commercials. She went on to appear on the cover of two albums by Ratt and starred in several videos for Whitesnake. Tawny also starred as Tom Hanks’ fiancé in Bachelor Party and Harry Seinfeld’s girlfriend in an episode of Seinfeld.
Tawny Kitaen passed away in early March 2021 due to an unknown cause
On the morning of 9th March 2021, a shocked world woke up to news that the beloved Tawny had passed away. Her children, Wynter and Raine, posted the following message on Tawny’s Instagram page:
“We are heartbroken and saddened to announce the death of our mom. We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love. You gave her life every day. We miss her and love her and we know her legacy will live on forever.”
The cause of Tawny Kitaen’s death is unknown.
The rock vixen of the 80s had a troubled personal life
Tawny Kitaen’s personal life couldn’t compare to her successful professional life.
Kitaen married Whitesnake lead singer David Coverdale in 1989, with their marriage ending in divorce two years later. She had an affair with American football star O.J. Simpson during his marriage to Nicole Brown Simpson.
Tawny’s luck appeared to change after she married baseball player Chuck Finley in 1997. The marriage ended five years later after Kitaen allegedly kicked Chuck on the face with her high heels. Finley filed for divorce, and Kitaen agreed to enter a ‘spousal battery counseling program.’ The silver lining is that the marriage yielded Kitaen’s two daughters.
Drug charges and a DUI arrest followed in the late 2000s before Tawny stepped away from the limelight.