WWE Legend ‘Chyna’ Found Dead
According to her official Facebook page, WWE professional wrestling legend Chyna has been found dead at the age of 45.
TMZ reports that Chyna was found in her California home by a friend at 7:30pm on Wednesday, April 20th. The friend visited Chyna's residence out of concern because she'd not been seen or heard from in a few days. Officials tell TMZ that no foul play is suspected.
Chyna was born Joan Marie Laurer in Rochester and at the age of 16 she left home and went to Spain on a United Nations scholarship. In 1992, she graduated from the University of Tampa and then joined the Peace Corps where she taught literacy in Costa Rica.
Chyna was trained in the art of wrestling by Killer Kowalski at his school in Salem, Massachusetts and made her professional wrestling debut in 1995. Dubbed by fans as the "Ninth Wonder of the World," Chyna changed the way people viewed women in professional wrestling. Chyna joined forces with wrestler Triple H in 1997 and became part of D-Generation X, which changed professional wrestling as the world previously knew it.
After leaving the WWE, Chyna had to give up use of her wrestling name and began calling herself China Doll and Joanie Laurer, although she filed paperwork to legally change her name to Chyna in 2007. Reality television called Chyna's name and she appeared in several shows including "The Surreal Life" and "Celebrity Rehab."
In a 2015 interview, Chyna told VICE Sports that she wanted to regroup and simplify her life and to give back to the world around her and so she went to Japan to teach English to students.