A Pittsburgh-area model who became a Miss USA finalist and later played Judy on “Beverly Hills, 90210” has died after a heart emergency.

Kimmarie Johnson, a model and actress whose credits included “Beverly Hills, 90210” and the comedy “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” died Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 4, 2026, at 50. Her niece, Rhonda Scott, confirmed the death.

Johnson suffered a “heart event” at her Los Angeles home on Oct. 27, Scott said. She was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a “heart aneurysm condition.” Her heart later stopped beating.

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

From Wilkinsburg to the Miss USA Stage

Johnson was born in Pittsburgh on April 8, 1976, and grew up in nearby Wilkinsburg, Pa., where she attended Wilkinsburg High School. She won the Miss Pennsylvania USA pageant in 1992 and represented her home state at Miss USA the following year, finishing in the top six. That pageant, held in Wichita, Kan., was won by Kenya Moore of Michigan.

She studied at California University of Pennsylvania, then moved to New York City and on to Los Angeles to chase a modeling career. She booked print campaigns and runway shows.

From Judy to Jumpsuit Chick No. 5

After a small role in “Let’s Talk About Sex,” Johnson made her acting debut in 1998 in an episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” working alongside series stars Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green. She played Judy in multiple episodes of the teen drama.

She later joined “V.I.P.,” the action series starring Pamela Anderson. In 2000 she turned up as Jumpsuit Chick No. 5 in “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” the stoner comedy headlined by Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Garner.

The rest of her filmography ran through independent movies: “Shadow Fury” in 2001, “Spanish Fly” in 2002, “Gang Warz” in 2004, “Break a Leg” in 2005 and “The Summer of Massacre” in 2012. She also appeared in “Wanda at Large” and “Legacy,” and she moved behind the camera as an executive producer of “The Last Eve” in 2005.

Johnson curtailed her acting career after giving birth to her son, Cameron Nino, in 2003. Her final on-screen credit came in 2017, when she played Rebekah in “Tucker’s War.”

Off screen, she built a second business. In 2011 she founded the skincare and beauty line SkinGlow by Kimmarie, and she was described in reports of her death as a model, actress and entrepreneur who ran her own line of skincare products.

What Garth Wrote After Doherty Died

The series that put Johnson on television began as a ratings afterthought. Created by Darren Star, it debuted on Fox in 1990 under the title “Class of Beverly Hills” and ranked No. 118 that first season. Garth has said the cast shot risqué summer episodes at the beach and aired them while other networks ran reruns, pulling in teenagers who were home from school. In her memoir, Garth wrote that the ensemble’s leap to stardom took only weeks and that none of them were ready for it.

Johnson’s death follows a run of loss for the show’s cast. Shannen Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh, died Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 53, after a yearslong battle with breast cancer; her longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, announced the death in a statement to People. David Gail died the same year of cardiac arrest. Luke Perry, who played Dylan McKay, died in March 2019 at 52 after suffering a stroke.

Garth, who has acknowledged that she and Doherty were “pitted against each other” during their years on the show, paid tribute to her co-star after her death. “Our connection was real and honest,” Garth wrote.

Johnson is survived by her family, including Scott and her son, Cameron Nino, who was born in 2003.