What was Tawny Kitaen's Net Worth?
Tawny Kitaen was an American actress and media personality who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death. Tawny Kitaen became famous for appearing in music videos of several glam rock bands, including "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love" by Whitesnake. She was married to Whitesnake's lead singer, David Coverdale, from 1989 to 1991 and baseball player Chuck Finley from 1997 to 2002.
Tawny starred as Lisa DiNapoli in the television series "Santa Barbara" in 1989. From 1991 to 1993, Tawny starred as Mona Loveland in the series "The New WKRP in Cincinnati." She provided the voice of Annabelle in the animated series "Eek! the Cat" from 1992 to 1995. Kitaen has also starred in the movies Bachelor Party, Witchboard, Instant Justice, and Too Cool. She co-hosted the TV series "America's Funniest People" from 1992 to 1994. Kitaen had been in and out of rehab programs in later years. She appeared on the reality TV series The Surreal Life and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Unfortunately, Tawny died on May 7, 2021, at the age of 59.
Early Life
Julie Tawny Kitaen was born on August 6, 1961, in San Diego, California. She was the eldest child of Linda Kitaen, who primarily was a housewife, and Terry Kitaen, who worked at a company selling neon signs. She grew up with her two younger siblings and was raised in the Jewish faith. When she was 12 years old, she began using the nickname Tawny, as she preferred it. When she was a child, she struggled in school due in large part to her dyslexia. She dropped out of Mission Bay High School at the age of 14. A pivotal moment in Kitaen's youth was a concert she attended at the age of 14. She had a backstage pass to a Peter Frampton concert and witnessed the VIP treatment that Frampton's girlfriend received. Kitaen decided at that moment that she was interested in achieving such a position in her own life.
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Career
Kitaen began modeling and appearing in films during her early career. In the early 1980s, she modeled and appeared in television commercials for Jack LaLanne's European Health Spas. She later expressed that this experience solidified her desire to become an actress. In 1983, she appeared on the cover of Ratt's debut EP, "Ratt." She then appeared on the cover of the band's debut album," Out of the Cellar" in 1984. At the time, she was dating the band's guitarist, Robbin Crosby.
She also had a minor role in the television movie, "Malibu" in 1983. The following year, in 1984, she starred as the title character of the erotic adventure film, "The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak." The same year, she also appeared in the film "Bachelor Party" as the bride-to-be for Tom Hanks' character. In 1986, she appeared in the films "Witchboard," "White Hot," and "Dead Tides."
Kitaen rose to greater prominence after appearing in several music videos for the band Whitesnake. She appeared in the videos for the hit songs "Here I Go Again," "Still of the Night," "Is This Love," and "The Deeper the Love." She also appeared in the video for the song "Back for More" by Ratt.
Her acting career continued into the late 1980s and early 1990s. She appeared as the character Lisa DiNapoli on the daytime serial "Santa Barbara" in 1989. She also appeared in an episode of "Seinfeld" as Jerry's girlfriend in 1991. From 1991 to 1993, she appeared in 19 episodes of the series "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" as character DJ Mona Loveland. Additionally, she had recurring parts in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and also co-hosted "America's Funniest People" from 1992 to 1994.
In her later life, Kitaen joined the cast of the sixth season of the VH1 reality television show, "The Surreal Life," which began airing in 2006. She later appeared in the second season of another VH1 reality series, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," which aired in 2008. The show detailed some of Kitaen's history with drug abuse and addiction.
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Personal Life
While in high school, Kitaen began dating the future guitarist for the band Ratt, Robbin Crosby. They continued dating after high school and then moved in together as teenagers but eventually broke up. In 1989, Kitaen married David Coverdale, the singer from Whitesnake, though they divorced in 1991. At some point, Kitaen also had a year-long affair with O.J. Simpson while Simpson was married to Nicole Brown Simpson, though the affair was only revealed during Simpson's 1997 trial.
In 1997, Kitaen married basketball player Chuck Finley. They remained married until 2002. During their marriage, they had two daughters whom they named Wynter and Raine. In 2002, Kitaen was charged with domestic violence, and Finley filed for divorce three days later. Kitaen subsequently agreed to enter a spousal battery counseling program and to avoid contact with Finley.
Kitaen suffered from drug problems throughout much of her adult life, which often landed her in trouble with the police as well. In November 2006, she was charged with cocaine possession at her home in Orange County while there were children in the home. She entered a six-month drug rehabilitation program in exchange for the dismissal of the felony drug possession charge. A few years later, in 2009, she was arrested for driving under the influence in Newport Beach, California. She was again arrested in 2019 in Newport Beach for DUI and was formally charged with a misdemeanor, though she pled not guilty.
Before Kitaen's hearing could take place, Kitaen died at her home in Newport Beach in May of 2021 at the age of 59. Police on the scene reported that nothing indicated alcohol or drugs as a factor in the death. Her official autopsy report revealed the cause of death to be dilated cardiomyopathy, a common type of heart disease.
