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.
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…🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/ioerp3ZRPa
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) May 8, 2021
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. My love and sympathies to her family and friends. pic.twitter.com/l8SvMJI5pe
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) May 8, 2021
Damn talk about end of an MTV memory era. Rip 🙏🏾 https://t.co/1t5YuStorg
— B.R.O.theR. ?uestion (@questlove) May 8, 2021
Sad to hear about the passing of the Whitesnake video model (as well as Ratt cover model) Tawny Kitaen. A little bit of my youth died right now. Rip T 🙏#tawnykitaen #ratt #outofthecellar #roundnround #supermodel #videovixen #Whitesnake #riptawnykitaen pic.twitter.com/1X3rfvnI1B
— Marten Andersson (@anderssonmarten) May 8, 2021
Sad news. She was great in “Bachelor Party”…an #80s favorite. Rest In Peace #TawnyKitaen. 😞 pic.twitter.com/adRPU2vMum
— Jon Donahue (@JonDonahue) May 8, 2021
Pure #80s fun. #RIPTawnyKitaen pic.twitter.com/jR3N73AaJJ
— Jon Donahue (@JonDonahue) May 8, 2021
Oh no!!!! 😞🖤🖤🖤 #RIPTawnyKitaen pic.twitter.com/UUvv9axjlJ
— Diana “Darcy the Mail Ghoul” Prince 🧟♀️🎃 (@kinky_horror) May 8, 2021
Sweet Tawny, I wanted to be you in HS and after we met, I wanted to be a good friend. Karaoke forever and rest in peace. #RIPTawnyKitaen https://t.co/jQcaRivvtJ
— Tammy Pescatelli (@TammyPescatelli) May 8, 2021
RIP @Tawny_Kitaen . From movies, to @theRATTpack album covers, to classic @Whitesnake videos an 80’s icon. Condolences to her friends, family & fans. I didn’t know her well but we did once cohost @M3RockFestival as seen in this photo, and @80sintheSand pic.twitter.com/IR5Uoe66gh
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) May 8, 2021
So sad…Rest In Peace #TawnyKitaen In the early days when we did in person auditions, I would frequently run into her and share a nice conversation. I thought she was incredibly beautiful and had the biggest and brightest smile
— Barbara Crampton (@barbaracrampton) May 8, 2021
Just found out some very sad, unexpected news!😥😪😥 Tawny was a wonderful person and she was my friend. 😥😪 l am heartbroken over this !My sincerest condolences to her children and the rest of her family!
RIP @Tawny_Kitaen
I will miss our chats about life.😭#TawnyKitaen pic.twitter.com/qI3Ns3vsMo— Darcy Donavan (@darcydonavan) May 8, 2021
Very sad news about #TawnyKitaen. I remember Sam wrote “Shaping Up” for Tom Hanks. Then “Bachelor Party” came out, and Sam said “Tom doesn’t want to do it anymore because now he thinks he can be some kind of movie star.” So we went to see it. I thought Tawny was adorable. RIP 😢 pic.twitter.com/voNiVnXaYX
— Jennifer Tilly (@JenniferTilly) May 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/TiffanyTynes/status/1391081866355122176?s=20