Chyna, real name Joan Laurer, a former WWE wrestler whose impressive record and vibrant personality earned her accolades and a second career in reality TV, has died. She was 45.
News of the wrestler's death was confirmed late Wednesday by postings across her official social media accounts.
"It is with deep sadness to inform you today that we lost a true icon, a real life superhero," a statement on her official website said. "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."
Tweet may have been deleted
A request for further information sent to her representatives late Wednesday was not immediately returned. But reports say the star was found dead in her L.A. home.
Laurer first rose to fame in the late '90s, marking an important moment for female wrestlers after she became the first woman to ever enter the Royal Rumble Match.
Chyna changed female wrestling.Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESSShe has been credited by some for changing the role of women within WWE. "She was not the damsel in distress who was forced to depend on a man for protection because she could not fight back," one critic wrote back in 2003.
After exiting WWE in 2001, Laurer went on to star on reality shows, including VH1's The Surreal Life, a pioneer of the celebreality genre. She also went on to appear in Celebrity Rehab and Fear Factor. In recent years, she also starred in a number of adult films.
Recently, Laurer has also been actively posting videos on her YouTube channel. In one video posted two months ago, she claimed she was attempting once again to mend fences with the WWE but making little progress.
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Her departure from the organization in 2001 was reportedly the result of romantic drama behind the scenes involving her then-fiance Triple H and Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon. For years, she's been angling for a return to the ring.
"It's just something I would love to resolve and I haven't been able to do that," she said in the video. "I would like to just be able to do this privately where I can atone and say I'm sorry for the things I've done, and I do. I feel bad about having said certain things under duress and pain and things that I haven't resolved privately and that's all I want to do."
In a statement on its website, WWE said it was "saddened" to hear of Laurer's passing.
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