Tawny Kitaen: Whitesnake Video Star Died From Heart Disease, Opiods Contributing Factor in Her Death

The cause of death of famous Whitesnake video star and actress Tawny Kitaen has been revealed on Wednesday.

According to an autopsy report of the Orange County Coroner's Office in California, the official cause of death of Kitaen was dilated cardiomyopathy, the most common type of heart disease, TMZ reported.

In dilated cardiomyopathy, the ability of the heart to pump blood dropped due to the enlarged, dilated, and weak left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber.

The said heart disease condition normally has no symptoms or only minor symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling of the legs and feet, dizziness, and fainting.

Opioids Among Factors of Tawny Kitaen's Death

Aside from revealing Tawny Kitaen's cause of death, the coroner's office also said other factors contributing to the actress' death include clogged arteries, antidepressants, acetaminophen, sedatives, nerve pain medication, and opioids. Kitaen's manner of death was ruled natural.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and pain relievers available by prescription, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine.

Tawny Kitaen, 59, died on May 7 in Newport Beach, California. Officers discovered her body following a report about an "unresponsive woman" inside her residence.

The Newport Beach Fire Department paramedics pronounced Kitaen dead at the scene. The police found nothing at the scene suggesting that the actress used alcohol, drugs, or pills before her death. The cops also said they were no signs she took her own life.

"We are heartbroken and saddened to announce the death of our mom," said Wynter and Raine, Kitaen's children said in an Instagram post last May.

Tawny Kitaen's death came a month after her father succumbed to cancer. According to the actress' brother, the death of their father was too much for Tawny's system to handle.

Tawny Kitaen's Legacy

Tawny Kitaen was well known for her roles in several music videos of the band Whitesnake, like in their hit songs "Here I Go Again," "The Deeper The Love," "Still of the Night," and "Is This Love."

Kitaen also appeared on the cover of back-to-back albums by a heavy metal band, Ratt. The actress also appeared on reality shows such as "The Surreal Life" and "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," and television shows such as "Santa Barbara" and "Eek! the Cat."

Kitaen also acted in various films like the "Bachelor Party," "The Perils of Gwendoline," and "After Midnight." Aside from acting, Kitaen also entered the world of writing.

In her last interview before her death, the music video star told David Yontef that she was in the middle of writing her book about her memoir.

"I'm in the middle of writing a book right now because if I don't write my life story, somebody else is going to and they're going to do it off of sound clips that aren't true and aren't really about me," Tawny Kitaen said.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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