She Was A Music Video Maven
Tawny Kitaen was the American actress who caused a stir for her steamy appearances in music videos for Whitesnake's “Still of the Night” and “Here I Go Again”, amongst others. However, her real scandals—from an affair with a controversial star athlete to a messy divorce—began when the cameras stopped rolling.
1. She Was Born Beautiful
Julie Ellen Kitaen entered the world on August 5, 1961, in San Diego, California. As the firstborn of former beauty pageant contestant, Linda Kitaen (née Taylor), expectations were high. However, with her father’s job at a neon sign manufacturer, resources proved limited...
2. She Was A Little Bit Of Everything
Kitaen’s signature look, the one that made her a rock video temptress, was the result of her mixed heritage. From her beauty-queen mother, she inherited Scottish and Irish roots while her father brought Russian-Jewish heritage to the family table. Kitaen embraced her father’s Jewish faith—but rejected something else he gave her.
Samuel Goldwyn Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Crowned Herself “Tawny”
At the tender age of twelve, young “Julie” made a bold declaration of independence. She dropped the name that her parents had given her and adopted the nickname “Tawny”—a name that she came up with entirely on her own. The reason for the personal rebranding was heartbreaking.
4. She Explained Her Secret Identity
Decades later, when she appeared on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew”, Kitaen revealed the reason for her adolescent name change. After confessing to everyone that her real name was “Julie”, she explained that shame drove her to forge a new identity, distancing herself from her childhood poverty and the humiliation of being on welfare.
Poverty, sadly, was the least of her childhood traumas.
5. She Had Dyslexia
In her younger years, the future video vixen wrestled with a learning disability: dyslexia. Despite her best efforts, Kitaen struggled with the disability to such a degree that it ultimately led her to abandon Mission Bay High School, dropping out. Little did anyone know this academic setback would launch her toward a different kind of stardom.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
6. She Found Her Destiny Backstage
Armed with backstage passes at a Peter Frampton concert at Balboa Stadium, fourteen-year-old Kitaen had a life-changing experience. She watched, gobsmacked, at the VIP treatment that Frampton's girlfriend, Penny, received. That moment ignited a burning ambition within her to, one day, receive that kind of treatment herself.
She was practically “flipping” out about it.
Carl Lender at https://www.flickr.com/photos/clender/, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Was A Gymnast
Before writhing around on car hoods made her famous, young Kitaen channeled her physical grace through gymnastics. Those early athletic skills would serve her well when choreographing moves that defined an entire MTV generation. She could practically hear the music already.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
8. She Pursued Her California Dreams
Still starry-eyed and seeking out VIP treatment of her own, Kitaen fell for Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby, the guitarist of a band called Phenomenon. Before long, the couple had moved in together and, in 1979, they relocated to Manhattan Beach, chasing their California dreams. Dreams that would become very, very real.
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9. She Was The Cover Girl
Kitaen’s first big “debut” as a rock music muse came in 1984. By that time, Crosby was shredding guitar for a new band, Ratt, that was beginning to gain traction. So, when the band released their debut EP, Kitaen graced the cover with her sultry good looks, creating what instantly became an iconic album cover.
You might say that the cover had her coming “Back for More”.
10. She Made Her Video Debut
After appearing on the cover of her boyfriend’s EP, Kitaen turned heads and snagged the spotlight again when she appeared in the music video for “Back for More”. Despite their sudden and growing fame, however, things between Kitaen and Crosby left neither of them coming “Back for More”.
RATT - Back For More (Official Music Video), RHINO
11. Her Romance Struck The Wrong Chord
Just as their respective careers were taking off, and after six years of rock and roll romance, Kitaen and Crosby struck a bad note. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Kitaen and Crosby went their separate ways, calling it quits in 1984. The split freed both to pursue their destinies—though neither could have imagined just how wildly different those paths would be.
12. She Flexed Her Way Into Films
Before conquering MTV, Kitaen modeled for Jack LaLanne's European Health Spas in television commercials during the early 1980s. In a poignant Instagram post months before her passing, she credited these fitness ads with inspiring her acting ambitions. In other words, music videos alone just wouldn’t do.
Photographer: Cliff Riddle, Hollywood, Wikimedia Commons
13. She Made It To Malibu
Shortly before leaving rock fans gawking at their television screens, Kitaen made her official entry into acting with a small role in the TV movie Malibu. Though the part was minor, it represented her first step from modeling to screen acting—a journey that would soon take some rather adventurous turns.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
14. She Pushed The Boundaries
Kitaen followed up her early acting roles and music video appearance with a starring role in a film that pushed the boundaries of decency. As the titular heroine in The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak, Kitaen showcased all of her sultry seductiveness, proving her willingness to take risks for more fame.
She did, however, have her limits.
Warner-Columbia Film, The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak (1984)
15. She Had To Bare It All
When she starred in 1986’s horror cult classic Witchboard, even Kitaen had to draw the line. One of Kitaen’s scenes took place in the shower, requiring her film “in the buff”. However, despite her racy music video appearances, Kitaen wasn’t exactly ready to bare it all on camera. At least, not if anyone was watching.
Paragon Arts International, Witchboard (1986)
16. She Cleared The Set
Kitaen was so nervous about filming the shower scene that Witchboard’s director, Kevin Tenney, ordered everyone to leave the set. Only Tenney himself and one camera operator stayed behind to film the risqué scene. Allegedly, the rest of the crew was upset, hoping that they could have “hung around” to catch a glimpse of Kitaen in all her natural beauty.
And they weren't the only men lining up.
Paragon Arts International, Witchboard (1986)
17. She Nearly Married Tom Hanks (On Screen)
Kitaen’s good looks and on-screen smouldering talents brought her face-to-face with future megastar Tom Hanks in the film Bachelor Party. Kitaen played Hanks’ bride-to-be in the film, bringing her to wider audiences. But, while cozied up to Hanks on screen, she had another, scandalous lover off screen.
20th Century Fox, Bachelor Party (1984)
18. She Embarked on a Scandalous Secret Affair
Kitaen didn’t just cause controversies with her music video and film appearances—her real scandals happened when the cameras weren’t rolling. Sometime in the mid-1980s, Kitaen began a scandalous love affair with none other than the married football star OJ Simpson. The wild affair remained hidden until Simpson's 1997 civil trial.
It’s not like Kitaen had been hiding it.
19. She Played A Dangerous Game Of Hotel Hide-And-Seek
Throughout their affair, Simpson lavished gifts upon Kitaen while she brazenly followed him around to football games. An even more shocking detail was that Simpson would put Kitaen away on one hotel floor while his wife, Nicole, occupied another. The naughtiness of it didn’t seem to bother Kitaen in the least.
20. She Found Forbidden Love More Thrilling
One of Kitaen’s close friends revealed a truly shocking detail about the music video vixen’s affair with Simpson. “It didn't matter at all to her that he was married,” the friend revealed. “She told me that made it more exciting!” Fortunately, the affair ended before things truly got messy between the two, but that didn't keep things from getting very messy elsewhere.
21. She Became Whitesnake's Video Vixen Extraordinaire
Kitaen’s affair with Simpson ended abruptly when, in the late 1980s, she began appearing in multiple Whitesnake music videos, including for hits like “Here I Go Again” and “Still of the Night”. But the truth is, she was, once again, mixing business with pleasure. At the time, Kitaen had started dating Whitesnake lead singer, David Coverdale.
Their relationship would shape rock music and music videos.
Sambob at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
22. She Cartwheeled Her Way To Stardom
The “Here I Go Again” video cemented Kitaen as a pop culture icon and turned her into MTV royalty. In a throwback to her gymnastics days, Kitaen cartwheeled atop the hoods of two Jaguars, elevating a simple acrobatic move into a genre-defining stunt. The move even inspired future popstars.
23. She Made Gaga Go Gaga
In a 2011 episode of I Want My MTV, Lady Gaga herself spoke about the moment that Kitaen changed her life. Calling it “one of the greatest moments in video history”, Gaga recalled, “I don't know a person in the universe who didn't melt when Tawny got on top of that car”. But Kitaen hadn’t done it alone.
24. She Married A Whitesnake
Kitaen’s frequent collaborations with Whitensnake, appearing in most of their videos, left everyone wondering what her connection to the band was. Then, on February 17, 1989, the connection became clear when Kitaen married the frontman, David Coverdale. Their marriage wasn’t all rock and roll, though.
25. Her Rock And Roll Marriage Hit A Sour Note
By April 1991, less than three years after saying their “I dos”, the Kitaen-Coverdale union had hit a discordant note and the couple filed for divorce. Kitaen later revealed that substance use had played a role in their split. Or, maybe, she was just blowing smoke...
Ron Galella, Ltd, Getty Images
26. She Kicked Her Husband Out In A Blizzard
In a 2015 interview, Kitaen went into greater detail about the surprise divorce. “David and I, when we were married, I quit smoking and he continued,” she explained. According to Kitaen, she’d banished the rock star to lighting-up outdoors…even in the middle of snowstorms. Despite this, it was, allegedly, a friendly divorce.
27. She Was Sweet—Then Sour
Despite the failure of their marriage, Kitaen maintained a friendly, almost loving, opinion of Coverdale—sometimes. While praising her ex as the “best rock and roll voice ever” in 2015, a few years later, she called him a “narcissistic idiot” who had used her for fame.
Kronos at Italian Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
28. She Conquered Daytime, Late Night, And Prime Time
Post-divorce, still riding the wave of fame from her music video appearances, Kitaen pivoted to television. Remarkably, she displayed a wide range, appearing in Santa Barbara, spinning records as a DJ in The New WKRP in Cincinnati, and even co-hosting America's Funniest People. Even as her career chugged along, however, she still sought love.
Jean-Claude FRANCOLON, Getty Images
29. She Swapped Rock Stars for America's Pastime
By 1997, Kitaen had shifted focus from her career to her personal life. And she appeared to have landed the role of a lifetime when she married baseball pitcher Chuck Finley. The union produced two daughters, scintillating magazine covers, and the biggest scandal of her life.
30. She Made Sports Illustrated History with Her Pitcher
In 1999, Kitaen proved that she still had that special “x-factor” that melted camera lenses. Alongside her new hubby, Finley, Kitaen was featured in an issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. To the outside world, Kitaen seemed to have it all: the body, the beau, and the bills. But it was all a lie.
Albert L. Ortega, Getty Images
31. She Was Domestically Dangerous
In 2002, Kitaen’s apparently perfect life came crumbling down. The former video vixen's picture-perfect marriage shattered spectacularly when authorities charged her with a domestic attack against Finley. The details were terrifying.
32. She Was Dangerous In Heels
When the details of the domestic incident emerged, they read like a tabloid editor's fever dream. According to the official report, Kitaen twisted Finley's ear and pummeled him with a stiletto heel all while Finley was driving. While they managed to avoid a car crash, their marriage was about to go up in flames.
33. Her Husband Filed For Divorce
Finley didn't waste time contemplating counseling. Just three days after the stiletto incident, on April 4, 2002, Finley filed for divorce from Kitaen. While the inciting incident had been tabloid fodder, the ensuing divorce proceedings would cause a media frenzy.
Jerry Reuss, Wikimedia Commons
34. She Was Suffering With Addiction
During the hearings, Kitaen initially pleaded “not guilty” and revealed a painful truth that she had been keeping secret: she’d been battling prescription medication addiction for two years. Originally, she had taken the medication to combat migraines, but the addiction had grown—and so had the consequences.
35. She Struck a Deal
Rather than face a trial that would have dragged more of her secrets into the spotlight, Kitaen negotiated a plea bargain. As part of the deal, Kitaen entered a spousal battery counseling program and maintained court-ordered distance from Finley. She seemed to be on the mend.
36. She Went Back To Class
Determined to dodge further and more severe charges, Kitaen voluntarily enrolled in new classes. But they weren’t the kind that would get her a diploma. The video vixen enrolled in both substance use treatment and anger management classes for 52 weeks. Sadly, what she learned in those classes didn’t stick.
37. She Had Blow
By late 2006, Kitaen was embroiled in a fresh scandal all of her own making. Prosecutors charged Kitaen with possessing 15 grams of blow in her San Juan Capistrano home. While the possession was a scandal in and of itself, the search that led to the charges against Kitaen was even more tragic.
38. Her Children Witnessed Her Downfall
The most heartbreaking detail of Kitaen’s latest troubles emerged when authorities spoke out. According to the officers involved in the search, both of Kitaen’s daughters had been home when they found the dangerous substances. Her prospects looked grim at best.
39. She Made A Deal With Justice
Less than a month after the search at her home, Kitaen struck another deal with justice. This time, she agreed to enter a six-month rehabilitation program in exchange for dismissal of the serious possession charge. As a true star of the 1980s, she was about to turn her scandal into a scoop.
40. She Turned Tragedy Into Ratings Gold
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Kitaen turned her personal disasters into reality TV gold when she joined ratings-juggernaut The Surreal Life. A few years later, Kitaen appeared in Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew in which she shared details from her private life that no one had ever heard before. Not all of those secrets were flattering.
41. She Was Botched On Television
In 2017, Kitaen appeared on the hit reality show Botched that focused on plastic surgeries gone wrong. In the show, Kitaen stunned viewers when it became apparent that she was seeking help to fix what many had assumed was her natural, shall we say, “blessing”. For the entire world to see, Kitaen requested the reversal of a previous chest augmentation.
She could have ended up in the hospital for something worse.
42. She Drove Into More Trouble
Kitaen’s descent into addiction and scandal took a truly dangerous turn when authorities booked her for driving under the influence in Newport Beach, California. The charges saw her spending two days behind bars and marked one of the darkest chapters in her life. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be her last encounter with the authorities.
David Livingston, Getty Images
43. She Faced The Music
Kitaen pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge. Mercifully, the court ordered Kitaen to attend a first-offender program, and required her to perform 64 hours of community service. While the punishment seemed manageable, Kitaen's battles with addiction were far from over.
Jonathan Leibson, Getty Images
44. She Hit The Same Speed Bump Again
Nearly a decade later, Kitaen was once again slapped with a charge for driving while impaired. The repeat offense showed that despite her previous legal troubles and treatment programs, the former rock video goddess was still struggling with the same demons. She must have been humming “Here I Go Again”.
45. She Maintained Her Innocence
Unlike with her first charge, Kitaen pleaded “not guilty”, determined to prove that she had, indeed, overcome her troubles. As an eager media awaited a verdict, the court scheduled Kitaen for a pretrial hearing on May 18, 2021. Kitaen, however, was already preparing for the end.
46. She Was Writing Her Final Chapter
Behind the scenes of her personal dramas, Kitaen had been working on something that would have given her fans unprecedented insight into her tumultuous life. In secret, she had been collaborating with author and historian Colin Heaton on writing her memoirs. The project promised to let all of her skeletons out of the closet.
Unless she became a skeleton first.
47. She Left The Stage Too Soon
On May 7, 2021, just days before her pretrial hearing, Kitaen drew her final breath while at her home. Her timing was, as usual, particularly poignant—she passed just three months away from what would have been her milestone 60th birthday. The woman who had cartwheeled her way into MTV history had taken her final bow.
But she was still the talk of the town.
48. She Left Behind A Mystery
Speaking to The New York Times, Kitaen's daughter confirmed mother’s untimely demise—but left everyone with more questions than answers. Kitaen’s daughter confessed that the cause of her mother’s passing was still anyone’s guess. Authorities, too, had noted that there was no evidence on scene to suggest an overdose.
At least, no evidence that they could see.
JavierDo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Had A Broken Heart
In October 2021, the Orange County coroner's office finally provided answers to the question on everyone’s mind; what caused Kitaen’s demise? According to the coroner, dilated cardiomyopathy, a common type of heart disease, had been the culprit. The revelation brought closure to her family and fans—but it wasn’t the whole truth.
50. She Had A Complicated Medical Picture
The coroner's report also included possibly damning information about Kitaen’s condition at the time of her passing. The report confirmed that Kitaen had what appeared to be a pharmacy in her system: “mirtazapine, alprazolam, acetaminophen, pregabalin, and hydrocodone”. Still, the coroner ruled it a “residential [passing]”.
51. She Left Behind A Legacy Of Love
Kitaen's daughters, Wynter and Raine Finley, wrote a touching tribute to their iconic mother. “We just want to say thank you,” their open letter read, “for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love. You gave her life everyday.
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