Chyna Found Dead At 45 Years Old

Thursday, April 21st, 2016 | News, WWE | No Comments | Subscribe Via RSS

Chyna dead

Former WWE star Chyna (real name Joanie Laurer) was found dead at her home Wednesday night in Redondo Beach, California. She was 45 years old.

So far the cause of death is unknown, but she was discovered in her bed by a friend. The police issued a statement saying they are investigating, but do not suspect foul play:

Chyna was one of the many troubled souls of the wrestling business. At one time she had it all, a powerful female icon long before the ‘Divas Revolution.’ She’s a former WWE Women’s and Intercontinental Champion, and was one of the first and few female performers to mix it up with the men in meaningful storylines. During the Attitude Era alongside DX and later as a single’s star, she was one of the most over midcard talents, which translated in to several TV appearances outside of wrestling. She also appeared twice in Playboy, selling a tremendous amount of copies.

Tragically it all came crashing down for her when real life partner Triple H left her for Stephanie McMahon. This eventually resulted in her departure from the company and she spiralled in to drug and alcohol abuse. She was infamously in a sex tape with Sean “Xpac” Waltman, which she later claimed was made without her permission. She then went on to do porn professionally. Her controversial life was also spotlighted on VH1 reality shows “The Surreal Life” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”

In recent years Chyna took to Youtube to connect with her fans while living in Japan, but on many occasions would be visibly intoxicated and she sometimes ranted about WWE and Triple H. It seems she never quite got over the trauma.

In 2015 she returned to the States and the WWE Hall of Fame became a talking point among fans. Triple H told Steve Austin on his podcast that he respected what Chyna meant to the WWE, but she would never be inducted because of her lifestyle choices.

Before her death Chyna had been filming a documentary called The Reconstruction of Chyna, seemingly an attempt at cleaning up her image. This however was met with skepticism when she invaded WWE HQ for publicity and then reportedly caused a scene at Roddy Piper’s funeral by pestering Triple H.

Beyond the headlines Chyna was well liked by almost everyone she met, both in wrestling and the wider entertainment industry. She will be remembered by those who knew her as a sweet and caring person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.

The World Reacts To Chyna Passing

None other than Stephanie McMahon took to Twitter to own the narrative, in what can only be described as awkward and blatant PR. Triple H himself has not commented.

WWE.com also issued a statement:

WWE is saddened to learn of reports that Joanie Laurer, best known for competing in WWE as Chyna, has passed away.

A physically striking and wildly talented performer, Chyna was a true sports-entertainment pioneer. Not only did the Superstar dubbed “The Ninth Wonder of the World” help found the groundbreaking faction D-Generation X, but she also holds the distinction of being the first and only female to win the Intercontinental Championship.

WWE extends its condolences to Laurer’s family, friends and fans.

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