For WWE Women’s World Champion Joanie Laurer, or better known as Chyna, was found dead in her apartment in Redondo Beach, California on Wednesday. She was 45. The news was confirmed via her official Twitter account.
The cause of the death is not yet known, but the police speculates to be a case of overdose, the Rolling Stone reports.
One of the most popular faces of the ‘attitude era’ of the WWE, Chyna was known to have redefined how the world perceives women wrestlers. She was in fact billed as “The Ninth Wonder Of The World”. She was the first female to ever enter the Royal Rumble match and qualify for the King of the Ring tournament, and in 1999, was the first woman to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Apart from wrestling, she also posed for the Playboy magazines and also made frequent appearances in sitcoms and reality shows. She also eventually ventured into the adult film industry.
In her 2001 autobiography titled “If They Only Knew” she calls herself “part feminist, part superhero.
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