MANILA, Philippines – Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Chyna has passed away at the age of 45.
Chyna, whose real name is Joan Marie Laurer, was found dead at her home in Los Angeles, California. Her passing was confirmed through her official Facebook page.
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“It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero. Joanie Laurer aka Chyna, the 9th wonder of the world has passed away. She will live forever in the memories of her millions of fans and all of us that loved her,” the post wrote.
The cause of her death remains unknown, but WrestleZone.com reports that Chyna had been under medication for anxiety and sleep deprivation.
Chyna rose to prominence during WWE’s “Attitude Era,” a period that was marked by a shift to a more adult-oriented programming content.
The muscled 5-foot-10 native of Rochester, New York was the only female performer to hold the promotion’s Intercontinental championship, winning the title twice in 1999.
Aside from being a one-time Women's champion, Chyna is also the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and the King of the Ring tournament as well as to become number one contender for the WWE Championship.
In addition, she holds notable singles victories over several prominent male wrestlers, including Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarrett.
After departing with WWE in 2001, Chyna has made sporadic appearances in various promotions, most notably with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2011.
Although Chyna has left a lasting legacy of being the most dominant in-ring female competitor of all time, cementing the aforementioned recognition seems to be a far-fetched dream.
Triple H, who is currently the executive vice president of talent, live events and creative for WWE, mentioned that Chyna deserved to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but the company is hesitant and sees her unfit to be included in the elite class as she was once a pornographic film actress.
{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/ChynaJoanLaurer">@ChynaJoanLaurer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley">@RealMickFoley</a> Chyna and Mick Foley 2 Legends xx <a href="https://t.co/rxoT5XgTFg">pic.twitter.com/rxoT5XgTFg</a></p>— ChynaForWWEHOF (@ChynaForWWEHOF) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChynaForWWEHOF/status/722233900475510784">April 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Chyna was last seen in public on Tuesday, April 19 when she went to a comic convention, appearing with fellow wrestling legend Mick Foley. – Rappler.com