Tawny Kitaen Cause Of Death Revealed 5 Months After Her Passing

The cause of Tawny Kitaen’s death has been revealed, five months after the late actress and music video icon died at the age of 59 in May. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Orange County Coroner’s Office told People that Kitaen died from dilated cardiomyopathy, a common type of heart disease.

Authorities also revealed that other contributing factors to her death included mild coronary atherosclerosis, mirtazapine, mirtazapine metabolite, alprazolam, acetaminophen, pregabalin and hydrocodone.

In a press release issued earlier by the Orange County Coroner’s Office, authorities said Kitaen died in her Newport Beach, California home on the morning of May 7. The document listed her as Tawny Finley.

Following the press release, Kitaen’s daughters Wynter and Raine issued a joint statement confirming her death, saying they were both “heartbroken and saddened” by her passing. “We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love,” they said.

“You gave her life every day. We miss her and love her and we know her legacy will live on forever,” they continued. The statement was also shared on Kitaen’s social media pages.

Kitaen first rose to fame in 1984, when she appeared in the comedy “Bachelor Party.” She played Debbie, the fiancée of Rick, played by Tom Hanks. While she had succeeding roles in several other movies throughout the 1980s, including “Witchboard,” “White Hot,” and “Dead Tides,” Kitaen was best known for her appearances in music videos.

Some of the most famous music videos she appeared in were “Here I Go Again,” “Still of the Night,” “Is This Love,” and “The Deeper the Love,” which were all songs of Whitesnake. She also appeared on the covers of two albums released by the heavy metal band Ratt and in their “Back for More” music video.

Her most recent appearances before her death were on reality shows “The Surreal Life,” “Botched,” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”