Julie E. “Tawny” Kitaen, the actress who appeared in several Whitesnake music videos and starred as Tom Hanks’ fiancée in Bachelor Party, was remembered by musicians, fellow actors and entertainment figures following her death on Friday morning (May 7).
Kitaen appeared on several RATT albums and in their “Back for More” video before co-starring in Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” video, as well as “Still of the Night,” “Is This Love” and “The Deeper the Love.”
“Just woke up to some very sad, unexpected news…Waiting on confirmation…but, if it is true, my sincere condolences to her children, her family, friends & fans,” Whitesnake’s David Coverdale, whom Kitaen was briefly married to from 1989-1991, wrote on Twitter after hearing of her passing at age 59. He posted an image of flowers in her memory on Twitter, and a photo of the beach on Instagram.
On Saturday (May 8), the Orange County Coroner’s Office confirmed her death through a press release, which listed her as Tawny Finley. (She was married to Chuck Finley from 1997-2002, and had two daughters with him.)
“So sad to hear of #TawnyKitaen ‘s passing. She was always very sweet to me. This is a photo of us meeting many years ago when she and David came to my show,” Richard Marx remembered. “My love and sympathies to her family and friends.”
Questlove spoke of her music video legacy, writing, “Damn talk about end of an MTV memory era.”
See those tributes to Tawny Kitaen, and many more, in the tweets below.
