The cause of death forTawny Kitaenhas been revealed five months after the actress and 1980s music video icondied at the age of 59.
Kitaen died from dilated cardiomyopathy, a common type of heart disease, a spokesperson for the Orange County Coroner’s Office tells PEOPLE.
Other contributing factors to her death included mild coronary atherosclerosis, mirtazapine, mirtazapine metabolite, alprazolam, acetaminophen, pregabalin and hydrocodone.
Kitaen died in her Newport Beach, California, home on the morning of May 7, according to a previous press release from the Orange County Coroner’s Office, which listed her as Tawny Finley.
Tawny Kitaen.Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images
“We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love,” a statement shared to Kitaen’s social media pages read. “You gave her life every day. We miss her and love her and we know her legacy will live on forever.”
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Kitaen got her break in the entertainment industry with the 1984 comedyBachelor Party— in which she played Debbie, the fiancée toTom Hanks' character Rick.
Though she had roles in several other movies throughout the 1980s —Witchboard, White Hot,andDead Tidesamong them — Kitaen was perhaps best known as the original music video vixen.
She famously appeared in several music videos for Whitesnake, including “Here I Go Again,” “Still of the Night,” “Is This Love,” and “The Deeper the Love.” She also appeared on the covers of two albums from the heavy metal band Ratt and starred in their “Back for More” music video.
More recently, she made appearances on reality showsThe Surreal Life,Botchedand a season of VH1’sCelebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
source: people.com
