Kimmarie Johnson, ‘90210’ Actress and Miss USA Finalist, Dies at 50 After Heart Aneurysm

Kimmarie Johnson, a model, actress and entrepreneur best known for small but memorable screen roles around the turn of the millennium, died Wednesday, Nov. 4, at age 50. Her niece, Rhonda Scott, told outlets including People and TMZ that Johnson suffered a “heart event” at her Los Angeles home on Oct. 27. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai and diagnosed with what the family described as a “heart aneurysm condition.”

“She radiated a light so strong and bright,” Scott said. “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.”

From Pittsburgh pageant winner to Hollywood bit player

Born Kim Marie Johnson on April 8, 1976, in Pittsburgh, she studied elementary education and child psychology at California University of Pennsylvania, according to Variety. She then moved to New York to pursue modeling, and Variety lists Vidal Sassoon, Oscar de la Renta and United Colors of Benetton among her clients. Other accounts note she also worked as a flight attendant.

Johnson won the Miss Pennsylvania USA title with no previous pageant experience. That earned her a place in the 1993 Miss USA competition, where she reached the final group. Outlets differ slightly on her placement: The Hollywood Reporter says top six, while Variety and Deadline say top five. The Independent calls her simply a finalist. Her 1996 move to Los Angeles marked the shift from modeling toward acting.

Kimmarie Johnson’s screen credits

Johnson appeared in a 1998 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Most sources give her character’s name as Judy, though Deadline lists it as Jane. The Hollywood Reporter cites Let’s Talk About Sex as her first credit that same year. In 2000 she played one of the disguised aliens in Dude, Where’s My Car?, billed as “Alien Jumpsuit Chick #5” according to Variety, and appeared in an episode of the Pamela Anderson series V.I.P.

Her other credits included Wanda at Large, Shadow Fury, Spanish Fly, The Summer of Massacre, Gang Warz and Carman: The Champion. The Independent notes she also had a handful of producing credits. Her last acting credit was a 2017 episode of Tucker’s War.

After the birth of her son, Cameron Nino, in 2003, Johnson scaled back acting. The Hollywood Reporter says she took classes at The Groundlings during that period. Deadline describes her son as an L.A.-based musician. He and her niece survive her.

A business beyond the screen

In 2011, Johnson launched the skin care line SkinGlow by Kimmarie, which The Independent reports she ran until her death. Social media accounts that appear to be hers showed recent activity, including modeling photos and behind-the-scenes videos. Friends and relatives have since left tributes. One commenter on a Facebook post recalled a recent get-together at Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center. A woman who said she was Johnson’s cousin wrote of the shock of her “sudden passing” and called her “always so supportive.”

Her career was built mostly on brief appearances, but the tributes suggest she left a stronger impression than her billing implied. A commenter on Deadline’s obituary who said they had worked with her called her “a ray of light,” echoing her niece’s words.

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File photo: Kimmarie DickClark.JPG by Frank Edward Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.