Key Takeaways
- Actress and model Kimmarie Johnson died at 50 on November 4 after doctors diagnosed a “heart aneurysm condition” following an October 27 medical emergency at her Los Angeles home, her family said.
- Johnson played Judy in a 1998 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 and appeared in Dude, Where’s My Car? after a modeling career and a top-six finish at Miss USA in 1993.
- She stepped away from acting after her son’s birth in 2003, later executive-produced The Last Eve and launched SkinGlow by Kimmarie in 2011.
Kimmarie Johnson, the actress, model, and former Miss USA contestant known for her appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210, died on Wednesday, November 4, after being diagnosed with a “heart aneurysm condition,” her family revealed. She was 50.
Johnson suffered what her niece Rhonda Scott described as a “heart event” at her Los Angeles home on Oct. 27. She was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors identified the condition. According to The New York Post, Johnson died peacefully Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after the medical emergency. No additional details about her treatment were released.
“She radiated a light so strong and bright,” Scott said in a statement to People. “People who came in contact with her felt nothing but positive energy. We will miss her tremendously and will continue to honor her life forever.”
Johnson had stayed active on social media in the months before her death. Her final Instagram post, shared in August, featured the actress in a black coat with silver floral detailing.
A month earlier, she posted footage from an event celebrating ESPN’s women’s basketball docuseries Life in the W.
Johnson’s path to Hollywood began well before her move to Los Angeles. Born in Pittsburgh in 1976, she studied elementary education and child psychology at California University of Pennsylvania before pursuing modeling in New York City.
Her résumé included work with Oscar de la Renta, Vidal Sassoon, and United Colors of Benetton.
She then entered the Miss Pennsylvania USA competition without previous pageant experience, won the title, and finished in the top six at Miss USA in 1993.
After relocating to Los Angeles in 1996, Johnson landed a role as Judy in “The Following Options,” a Season 9 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 that aired in 1998. The Fox series ran for a decade and helped define the 1990s teen-drama boom.
She later appeared in the 2000 comedy Dude, Where’s My Car? and added credits including V.I.P., Wanda at Large, Carman: The Champion, and The Summer of Massacre.
Johnson stepped away from acting after the birth of her son, Cameron Nino, in 2003, and then worked behind the camera as an executive producer on the 2005 film The Last Eve.
Johnson continued building beyond television and film, launching the beauty brand SkinGlow by Kimmarie in 2011.
