‘SAD, UNEXPECTED NEWS’

’80s Music Video Siren Tawny Kitaen Dies at 59

Officials say Kitaen died in her Orange County home on Friday morning but have not revealed a cause of death.

Actress and ’80s music video star Tawny Kitaen has died at 59, Variety reports. Officials say Kitaen died in her Orange County home on Friday morning but have not revealed a cause of death. Kitaen appeared on multiple album covers by heavy metal groups RATT and Whitesnake in the early ’80s and quickly rose to fame after she appeared in music videos, including “Back for More” and “Here I Go Again.” She married Whitesnake’s lead vocalist, David Coverdale, in 1989, but they split up two years later. Coverdale tweeted Friday morning, “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.”

Kitaen had multiple acting bits, playing Tom Hanks’ girlfriend in Bachelor Party and holding a lead role in Witchboard. In the early 2000s she appeared in shows like The Surreal Life, Botched, and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, where she revealed that she had struggled with substance abuse. Kitaen was briefly married to the now-retired MLB pitcher Chuck Finley and is survived by their two daughters.