Bachelor Party Actress Tawny Kitaen's Cause of Death Revealed
New details have emerged about Tawny Kitaen's death, five months after she passed away.
The 59-year-old actress, who appeared opposite Tom Hanks in Bachelor Party, died from dilated cardiomyopathy—a common type of heart disease—a spokesperson for the Orange County Coroner's Office confirmed to People.
According to the outlet, her official cause of death also included a number of contributing factors, such as hydrocodone, antidepressants, Tylenol, nerve pain medication and clogged arteries.
The star, who used the legal name Tawny Finley, died in her home in Newport Beach, Calif. on May 7.
On May 8, Tawny's daughters Wynter Finley, 28, and Raine Finley, 23, posted on their mom's Instagram account that they were "heartbroken and saddened" to announce her death. Tawny shared Wynter and Raine with ex-husband Chuck Finley, a former pro baseball pitcher. Before her marriage to Chuck, which ended in 2002, Tawny had been married to Whitesnake singer David Coverdale until their divorce in 1991.
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"We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love," her daughters posted at the time. "You gave her life everyday. We miss her and love her and we know her legacy will live on forever."
Tawny became a 1980s icon after starring in such seminal hair metal music videos as Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" and Ratt's "Back for More." She had roles in films including 1984's Bachelor Party and 1986's Witchboard, and she later appeared on the TV series Seinfeld, The New WKRP in Cincinnati and Married...With Children.
In 2006, she was a cast member on VH1's reality show The Surreal Life. Also in 2006, she was charged with cocaine possession and entered court-mandated rehab later that year. In 2008, she was seen on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew.
