‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Actress Kimmarie Johnson Dies at 50 Cause of Death Revealed

Kimmarie Johnson built a career that moved easily between the pageant stage, the runway, television and film. Her path began in western Pennsylvania, where she was born in Pittsburgh in 1976, and led all the way to Hollywood and a guest role on ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’.

In a profile with the Pittsburgh Jazz Network, Johnson said she was born and raised in Wilkinsburg, near Pittsburgh. She was named homecoming queen in both high school and college, and she studied elementary education and child psychology. She earned an elementary education degree at California University of Pennsylvania, and she began modeling while still in school.

That work took her to New York before she returned to Pennsylvania and entered pageantry. She represented her home state as Miss Pennsylvania USA in 1993 before competing at Miss USA, and she has said the national stage attracted the attention of managers and agents. Commercials, television work and film roles followed.

Johnson has died at the age of 50, according to her family. Her niece, Rhonda Scott, told TMZ that the actress suffered a cardiac event at her Los Angeles home on October 27 and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Doctors there diagnosed what was described as a heart aneurysm condition.

Scott said Johnson passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon, November 4, after her heart stopped beating. The family has not detailed what set off the event at her home, and no further explanation has been shared publicly so far.

After moving to Los Angeles, Johnson landed her first acting job in 1998, appearing in a single episode of the teen drama that gave her wider recognition. She later joined the action-comedy series ‘V.I.P.’, which starred Pamela Anderson.

In 2000, she appeared as the “Jumpsuit Chick” in the stoner comedy ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’, directed by Danny Leiner and starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. The part remains one of her best-known credits.

She also appeared in the sitcom ‘Wanda at Large’. Her filmography also includes smaller independent titles such as ‘Break a Leg’, ‘Gang Warz’, ‘Spanish Fly’, ‘Shadow Fury’ and ‘The Summer of Massacre’. Earlier in her career, she also appeared in the 1998 drama ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’, the 2001 sports drama ‘Carman: The Champion’ and the 2001 action thriller ‘1st Testament CIA Vengeance’.

Johnson took a break from acting after the birth of her son, Cameron Nino, in 2003, and he went on to become a musician. She stepped back for several years before returning to independent films and theater work.

She also moved behind the camera. Johnson served as executive producer on ‘The Last Eve’, working alongside Korean American director Young Man Kang. She had a handful of credits as a film producer. Her most recent screen credit was a single episode of the series ‘Tucker’s War’ in 2017.

Modeling remained a constant throughout her life. In a profile with the Pittsburgh Jazz Network, she described traveling internationally for runway work, including shows that featured designs by Oscar de la Renta.

In 2011, she launched SkinGlow by Kimmarie, a skincare line that promised products with no chemical residue or after effects, according to her website. She also stayed active in front of the camera, and she was the cover model for Grazia Slovenia in August, which turned out to be the final post on her Instagram account before her death.

Social media accounts that appear to belong to Johnson showed recent activity, including modeling photos and behind-the-scenes videos. Tributes began appearing online as the news spread, and a woman who identified herself as Johnson’s cousin wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken by the sudden passing.

People noted that it was not immediately able to reach her family or a representative for confirmation when it first reported the news, though Scott’s account has since been repeated across outlets. Johnson is survived by her family, including her son, and the accounts that appear to be hers remain a record of the work she was still doing.

Share your memories of Kimmarie Johnson’s work in the comments, and tell us which of her roles you remember best.